Raducanu, Fernandez set up battle of teens
NEW YORK: It will be the Big Apple battle of teenagers in Saturday’s U.S. Open final after Britain’s Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier to reach the title clash at a major, joining Canadian Leylah Fernandez as the duo continued their giant-killing spree.
The final under the lights at the colossal Arthur Ashe Stadium between Fernandez and Raducanu will be the first major final in the Open Era across both the men’s and women’s game to feature two unseeded players.
It will also mark the first Grand Slam final to be contested by two teenagers since the 1999 U.S. Open between Serena Williams and Martina Hingis.
Both Raducanu, 18, and Fernandez, who turned 19 this week, were yet to be born then.
“We first encountered each other because I was born in Toronto and she was Canadian, so we kind of, like, made a little relationship back then,” said Raducanu, whose parents moved to England when she was two-years-old.
“But, yeah, then I played her at junior Wimbledon. Obviously since then we’ve both come very far in our games and as people. Yeah, I’m sure it’s going to be extremely different to when we last encountered each other.”
Raducanu will be hoping for a similar outcome, though. The pair’s previous meeting came in the second round of the Wimbledon juniors in 2018, when Raducanu won 6-2 6-4.
Fernandez was the first to book her spot with yet another upset on Thursday as she took down second seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 in the first semi-final.
Raducanu wasted little time joining her, wrapping up her contest against Greek Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 in 84 minutes to become the first British woman to reach a major final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
Playing in just her fourth tour-level tournament, Raducanu has not dropped a set in New York - the first woman to make the U.S. Open final without dropping a set since German Angelique Kerber in 2016.
“Honestly I just can’t believe it. A shock. Crazy,” she said, beaming her ubiquitous smile. “To be in a Grand Slam final at
BOTH RADUCANU, 18, AND FERNANDEZ, WHO TURNED 19 THIS WEEK, WERE YET TO BE BORN THEN
this stage of my career, yeah, I have no words.”
Their fearless tennis has endeared both to the fans, and the crowd will have a tough choice deciding who to back on Saturday.
“They are both young. They play fearless. They have nothing to lose playing against us,” said Sakkari. “I have to give credit to both of them, both of the young girls, that they take their chances. They’re out there fighting for that title.”