Raducanu wins U.S. Open women’s title

British teenager Emma Raducanu arrived in New York last month with a ranking of 150th, just one Grand Slam appearance to her name and a flight booked to head out of town after the U.S. Open’s preliminary rounds in case she failed to win her way into the main tournament.

And there she was in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, cradling the silver trophy to complete an unlikely — indeed, unprecedented — and surprisingly dominant journey from qualifier to major champion by beating Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

“The future of women’s tennis, and just the depth of the game right now, is so great,” said the 18-year-old Raducanu, who will rise into the WTA’s top 25 on Monday. “I think every single player here in the women’s draw definitely has a shot of winning any tournament.”

The first female qualifier ever to reach a Grand Slam final, let alone win one, proved that emphatically. She captured 10 matches in a row at Flushing Meadows — three in qualifying, seven in the main draw — and is the first woman to win the U.S. Open title without dropping a set since Serena

Williams in 2014.

This was the first major final between two teens since Williams, 17, beat Martina Hingis, 18, at the 1999 U.S. Open and the first between two unseeded women in the professional era, which began in 1968.

“I hope to be back here in the finals and this time with a trophy — the right one,” Fernandez said as tears welled in her eyes.

Soccer

RONALDO SCORES TWICE IN RETURN >> The leap, swivel and landing with outstretched arms were roared on by the Old Trafford crowd. If anyone missed it the first time on Saturday — and it’s hard to imagine when so many eyes were transfixed on Cristiano Ronaldo — they got another chance in the second half. Two goals gave him two chances to stage his trademark celebration in a 4-1 victory over Newcastle, ensuring the performance matched Manchester United’s considerable hype that was embraced by fans young and old with their “Viva Ronaldo” chants and willingness to hand over cash for new No. 7 jerseys. Ronaldo looked like he’d never been away from Old Trafford for 12 years and yet, he said, “I was very nervous. Maybe I didn’t show it but I was.”