Raducanu spent an hour and 51 minutes writing the history of tennis 6-4, 6-3 in the final between two unranked teenagers. She is the first in modern tennis to win a Grand Slam title after qualifying.
Fernandez dodged two match balls in his own serve as Raducanu led 5-2. Then she played for two break points in the British service. Raducanu then had to receive treatment after rubbing the knee, but with a bandage on the bleeding knee, she kept her nerves under control, avoided fracture bullets and won.
– I hope to meet Leylah several times, and I hope in the final. She played incredible tennis and the level in the final was extremely high, said Raducanu.
– I also want to thank the public for making me feel at home, from my first match in qualifying. You helped me through some tough times, and I hope we gave you a good fight today.
She was number 150 in the world rankings when she came to New York to qualify for the final Grand Slam tournament of this year. She had to win three games to get to the main event, then she won another seven games – all without giving up sets.
Unpublished achievement
She is the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final since the four majors of 1968 were open to professional players, and therefore of course also the first to lift the trophy. She got it from tennis legend Billie Jean King.
Raducanu was also the first British woman to make a major singles final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977 – 25 years before the new US Open champion was born.
The new British tennis favorite was born in Canada and her parents are Romanian (father) and Chinese (mother) respectively, but the family moved to the UK when she was two, and she grew up there.
Rocket career
She played her very first WTA tournament in June and was number 338 in the world rankings when she received the wildcard for the Wimbledon tournament this summer. She showed her potential when she played until the 4th round. This gave her the chance to qualify for the US Open, and already in her second Grand Slam tournament she reached the top.
Sunday’s final opponent Fernandez was also unranked. With 73rd in the world rankings, she should have been the favorite in the final, but she failed to catch up with her opponent in the first US Open final between two teenage girls since Serena Williams defeated Martina Hingis in 1999.
Raducanu is the youngest female Grand Slam winner since Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon at the age of 17 in 2004.
“Coffeeaholic. Lifelong alcohol fanatic. Typical travel expert. Prone to fits of apathy. Internet trailblazer.”