Tennis: US Open champion Emma Raducanu is a teenage star in vogue

[reporter2]

Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez usher in dynamic new era

Teenagers seemed to have been muscled out before the extraordinary form shown by two youngsters at the US Open

Tumaini Carayol

11 Sep 2021


Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez are set to battle for the US Open crown in what promises to be a thrilling final.

Over the past 20 years, as memories of Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Serena Williams battling for glory in grand slam finals as teens faded deep into the memory of professional tennis, it soon became clear that the era of teenage supernovas had abated.

While there have been numerous anomalies since, including the recent triumphs of Bianca Andreescu and Iga Swiatek, with the rise of technology and augmenting physicality within the sport teenagers have been brushed aside.

Not this time. After one of the most manic grand slam tournaments in recent years, the last players standing in the women’s draw are two youngsters, 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez and 18-year-old Emma Raducanu, who had the audacity to ignore convention and believe that they could win each match ahead. With every round they have passed and each career-best victory achieved, they took it. On Saturday, they will be the first pair of teens to face each other in a grand slam final since Serena Williams and Hingis at the US Open in 1999.

With only two months separating them in age, the history they share is unsurprisingly vast. They first met each other at the prestigious Orange Bowl tournament when they were competing in the under 12s edition: “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. Three years later, as 15-year-olds, they faced each other in the second round of junior Wimbledon, a match Raducanu won in straight sets.

After completing their junior careers, however, they went their separate ways and their journeys to this final could scarcely differ more. Fernandez has tread a more conventional path to her first grand slam final. After a sparkling junior career that included a triumph at the French Open junior event in 2019, her transition to the main tour has been smooth. She achieved an early big win, defeating Belinda Bencic in Fed Cup, then she spent around a year building her ranking at lower level tournaments.

Shortly after returning from the pandemic break, Fernandez reached the top 100 and earlier this year, she won her first ever WTA title in Monterrey and although she had entered the US Open in indifferent form, with every match over the past 18 months she has gained more experience and understanding of the level necessary to succeed on the tour.


Leylah Fernandez celebrates beating Aryna Sabalenka in their US Open semi-final.

Since she has arrived at the US Open, she has wrestled through one of the most complicated draws possible. Even her first two rounds against unseeded players, returning former top 20 player Ana Konjuh and six-time grand slam quarter finalist Kaia Kanepi were difficult.

Since then, she has defeated a long list of names in thrilling three-setters: Naomi Osaka, the third seed, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Angelique Kerber, the in-form three-time grand slam champion, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Elina Svitolina, the fifth seed, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) and then Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (3) 4-6 6-4. She has been astonishingly clutch in the important moments, winning all five tiebreaks contested in the tournament, while beating three top five players in total. She has fought tooth nail and and at times played at a sublime level.

While Fernandez has tested herself across 34 top level events, Raducanu is still in her fourth. Given her sheer inexperience at all levels of the professional game, her presence in the final is without precedence. The manner that she has learnt each day and implemented improvements with every new round has been a great measure of her intelligence.


Serena Williams (right) with Martina Hingis after the American beat the Swiss 6-3, 7-6 in the 1999 US Open final, the last in a slam between two teenagers.

While Raducanu has not faced the same calibre of opponents, she has left no doubt about her level by destroying everything in her path. The 18-year-old has not lost a single set including in the qualifying draw and she has conceded only 27 games. In total, Fernandez has spent 12 hours and 45 minutes on the court in her six matches at the US Open. Despite contesting three additional qualifying matches, Raducanu has spent over an hour less time on court. There are similarities and differences in their games: At their best, as has been the case for much of the past two weeks, both possess few weaknesses to be exploited. Despite standing at 5ft 6in and sometimes seeming even smaller, Fernandez’s timing and wicked left arm combine to generate great pace and weight with her spectacular forehand. She has otherwise smothered opponents in big moments with total tennis, combining that explosiveness with angles, touch, guile and high level returning.

While Raducanu’s variety is still a work in progress, she similarly has a well-rounded game and both navigate the court with an innate understanding of their own strengths and how to use them. This will be historic for another reason as both Fernandez and Raducanu are from immigrant families. While Fernandez’s parents hail from Ecuador and the Philippines, Raducanu’s background is Romanian and Chinese.

As she basked in the glow of her semi-final win, Fernandez summed up the joy of reaching her maiden final after being asked how she would describe her fortnight. “I’m just having fun, she said. “I’m trying to produce something for the crowd to enjoy. I’m glad that whatever I’m doing on court, the fans are loving it and I’m loving it, too. We’ll say it’s magical.”

[reporter2]

Tennis: US Open champion Emma Raducanu is a teenage star in vogue

12 September 2021


Eighteen-year-old Emma Raducanu is the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam singles crown.PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK (AFP) - Emma Raducanu's journey to US Open champion at the age of 18 is even more remarkable given the Briton was the shy youngster who felt she was always "the odd one out".

Raducanu, who became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam singles crown with victory over Leylah Fernandez in New York on Saturday (Sept 11), has enjoyed a year beyond her wildest dreams.

When she played Wimbledon in July, it was the first time she had ever appeared in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

A virtual unknown at the start of that tournament, she became the youngest British woman to reach the third round for 19 years.

Even before she travelled to New York, she appeared on the front cover of British Vogue.

At Flushing Meadows, her poise and nerveless play belied her age as she became the darling of fans and the media.

As a child though, the drive instilled in her by her Romanian father Ian and Chinese mother Renee, who insisted she try a range of activities including go-karting, ballet or horse riding, made her feel a bit of an outsider.

"When I was younger, I was the only girl in my group karting or doing motocross, and I thought it was pretty cool," she explained in Vogue.

"For example, one time, my motocross teacher was like, right, we're going to do press-ups. I was the only one who could do it, so I was proud of myself for that."

It was tennis, though, that her teachers identified from the age of five as the sport in which she would shine.

Her primary school teacher Rebecca Rodger said that when the school held tennis coaching, most of the children had difficulty even making contact with the ball.

"But there was Emma having a rally with the coaches. We couldn't quite believe it. Even then I remember thinking that we were going to see her at Wimbledon," Ms Rodger told The Times.

Her instinct was spot-on as Raducanu lit up Wimbledon, with a mix of deft stroke play and power hitting far from what one would expect of an international novice.

Also striking was the maturity she showed in fielding questions from the media.

In the end, breathing difficulties forced her to retire from her fourth-round match at the All-England Club.


Emma Raducanu during her fourth-round match against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic at Wimbledon on July 5, 2021. PHOTO: AFP

Role of 'hero'

However, showing an extraordinary strength of character she has put that behind her to become the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final.

She credits her parents for this trait.

"For me, having a Chinese mum, she definitely instilled in me from a young age a lot of discipline and respect for other people into me," she said.

"I think having parents like I do, they always push me.

"They have high expectations. I've always tried to live up to that."

Fulfilling those high expectations will bring with it unthinkable riches.

The £181,000 (S$336,000) she earned at Wimbledon for reaching the last 16 - her then richest payday - is loose change beside the US$2.5 million (S$3.4 million) she earned at being crowned US Open champion and the endorsements that come with it.


Emma Raducanu smiling after defeating Lelyah Fernandez to win the US Open in Flushing Meadows on Sept 11, 2021. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Already signed up to Nike, Wilson and jeweller Tiffany, more are bound to come her way.

Mr Marcel Knobil, the founder of Brand Council and Superbrands, told The Mirror she fulfils the role of "hero" perfectly.

"Within a couple of years, she can confidently look forward to £10 million in revenue but if she wins the final it could be easily doubled to £20 million," he told the newspaper.

It is fortunate then that Raducanu has a brain for figures, perhaps inherited from her parents who both work in finance.

At Wimbledon, she claimed she would swop good grades in the English school-leaving A-Level exams - she took Mathematics and Economics in April - for a long run in the tournament. No need to guess what the grades were after the 2021 she is enjoying - an A and an A-plus.

[reporter2]

How two tennis teens forged sudden stardom and deep connections

Britain's Emma Raducanu wins US Open and US$2.5m prize without dropping a set.

Sep 13, 2021

Christopher Clarey

New York

WE adapt quickly. It's part of the human spirit, whether we are teenage tennis stars or the people who line up and take a seat to watch them in the world's biggest tennis stadium.

Two weeks ago, the vast majority of us had never heard of Emma Raducanu - the new US Open champion - or Leylah Fernandez. The latter, who turned 19 last week, had never been past the third round in a major tournament and had struggled to find her best form in recent weeks.

Raducanu, who's just three months younger, joined the professional tour in earnest only this summer and had to make it through the qualifying tournament to secure a spot in the US Open.

But by Saturday, when the pair took to the court for one of the most unlikely Grand Slam finals, we already had a connection.

They had boldly worked through the women's draw during this special US Open, which was full of communion between the players and the public after all the distancing of the last year and a half.

By Saturday, those who had been following their unexpected progress already knew about their strengths, their multicultural backgrounds and even their quirks: Fernandez's jig behind the baseline before walking forward to serve, Raducanu's habit of blowing on her fingers between points as if to cool off a very hot hand.

But what was most striking was how quickly both unseeded players adjusted to this grand occasion, calmly giving thoughtful pre-match TV interviews, walking past Billie Jean King's quote on the tunnel wall, which says that "pressure is a privilege", and then walking past King herself as they emerged for the biggest match of their short careers.

It was all new, but you would not have known it once the ball was in play, as both attacked their groundstrokes and did their best to seize the occasion even after having nearly two full days to think about the occasion once they had won their semifinals.

After the introductions, Fernandez ripped a backhand crosscourt winner on the opening point. Raducanu later pounded a backhand winner of her own to hold serve and win the opening game.

Grand Slam finals, even with more experienced players, can too quickly become one-way traffic. Tennis is a game of momentum, and the best-of-three-set format used by the women allows less time to turn the tide than the best-of-five format used by the men.

But the two players held firm, extending rallies with their quickness and defensive skills on the move, smartly sending lobs high into the atmosphere when cornered. Just as impressively, they finished points with authority when they had created the space to go for winners.

Their styles contrast in some ways. The left-handed Fernandez uses more spin and enjoys deploying the drop shot. Her technique is more artisanal than textbook, with her hands often far apart on the grip on a two-handed backhand as she improvises on the fly.

The right-handed Raducanu favours more direct power and has fabulous fundamentals that allow her to control the ball even while swinging ferociously.

She has a knack for making the tricky shot look smooth and an ability to run around her backhand in a flash and rip an inside-out forehand that Roger Federer could relate to.

But Fernandez and Raducanu are very contemporary tennis talents in their ability to sustain pace and consistency from low body positions, their knees often touching the court as they counterpunch.

Some of their extended rallies were spectacular on Saturday as they exchanged backhand bolts with nary a grunt, their sneakers squeaking on the hard court as they focused on becoming a Grand Slam champion.

Only Raducanu would get that great satisfaction, and although the score of 6-4, 6-3 will look fairly lopsided in the history books, anyone who watched will know that the match was much more tenuous than that.

"These two young women are a gift to tennis, an absolute gift," Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open men's champion, wrote in a post on Twitter.

Raducanu will get no shortage of attention at home and abroad for her breakthrough. A fine student in the classroom, she is clearly a very quick study on a tennis court, too.

But women's tennis is a wide-open world these days: Fourteen players have won their first Grand Slam singles title since 2015.

More big trophies are no guarantee, no matter how phenomenal Raducanu's run was in New York. But she seems wise beyond her years and not entirely of her generation: "I still haven't checked my phone," she said on Saturday night.

Riches, unlike trophies, surely await. Raducanu is from Britain, a major market, and is telegenic with a global appeal as the well-spoken daughter of parents with roots in Romania and China.

Also, her agent is Max Eisenbud, who helped turn Maria Sharapova's unexpected Wimbledon victory at age 17 into gold and now has an even more unlikely success story to work with.

Raducanu finished her high-school exams shortly before Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round in her Grand Slam debut and got a taste of "Emmamania" only to struggle with her breathing and nerves and retire mid-match against Ajla Tomljanovic in the fourth round.

Fernandez is not yet a Grand Slam champion, but she is a world-class fighter who walks between points with the steely determination of someone on her way to break up a bar brawl.

She and her family have sacrificed plenty for her tennis career, and after losing a back-and-forth first set, Fernandez had every reason to still believe in her chances - given all of her successful battles with top players at Flushing Meadows.

She upset three players ranked in the top five - Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka - as well as Angelique Kerber, a former No. 1 in resurgent form.

Fernandez had beaten them all in three sets, so when Raducanu took a 5-2 lead in the second set but was unable to convert her first two match points on Fernandez's serve, Fernandez grinned as if she knew something that nobody else yet suspected.

Why should she not have believed in another comeback? But when she got a break point in the next game, she had to wait to play it as Raducanu, who had scraped her left knee while sliding for a shot, took a medical timeout to clean up trickling blood and have the wound bandaged.

The stoppage was well within the rules, but in this thinker's sport of ebbs and flows, it may have made the difference.

Raducanu said she was concerned about losing her rhythm, as well. But it was Fernandez who expressed displeasure about the long pause to officials and then pushed a forehand long. Raducanu then saved a second break point with a leaping tap of an overhead.

She was back to deuce and this time, she did not flinch, surprising Fernandez with a fine serve down the T that gave her command of the rally and brought her a third match point.

She mulled her options, tossed the ball high and smacked an ace to become the first qualifier in the long history of tennis to win a Grand Slam singles title. In 10 matches, she never lost a set.

"I never thought I would see it, so I'm in shock," said King, who watched from the stands as Raducanu dropped her racket and fell to the court, her hands covering her face.

It was a transformative moment, one that left both players in tears. But what seemed remarkable when the match ended was the same thing that had seemed remarkable as it began: the poise and adaptability of both young finalists.

And when Fernandez, her eyes still red, seemed to have answered her last question at the awards ceremony, she had the presence of mind to ask for the microphone one more time and say what she had planned for this bittersweet day, the 20th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks.

"I know on this day it was especially hard for New York and everyone around us," she said. "I just hope I can be as strong and resilient as New York has been the past 20 years."