Emma Raducanu Meets Leila Fernandez, The Last Teenage Girl.
Key Sentence:
- Emma Raducanu will seek to become the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in 44 years.
- When she faces another teenager in the US Open final between two players who set New York on fire, Leila Fernandez, meeting.
A final between world rankings 150 and 73 is never predictable and shouldn't be too exciting, but this US Open - and these two players - is defying expectations at every turn. Raducanu's story was a dream, too low to reach the peloton; the 18-year-old had to go through three qualifying rounds and get the grand final as the first qualifier.
And he did it all without missing a single piece of equipment.
The 19-year-old Fernandez turned down several prominent players - he knocked out defending champion Naomi Osaka, fifth seed Elina Svitolina, world number two Arina Sabalenka, and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber.
Their different paths and opposing styles - but with the same fearless approach - formed the first final for the 1999 US Open Grand Slam when Serena Williams defeated Martina Hingis. A tall girl called out to one of them, but no matter whose name was engraved on the trophy, both indicated that there was a bright future for tennis, at a time when fans were wondering who could fill the void if it was the biggest sport.
When he finally ends the country's wait for a first Grand Slam individual winner after Virginia Wade's 1977 Wimbledon victory, someone may have to develop a new excellent, as they have all been used. What's impressive is that he's not only 18 years old but has beaten clinically much more experienced players like Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and 17-year-old Maria Sakari with a fearless game that showcases incredible diversity, as well as the knack for transforming.
And then there's that smile.
At times he seemed so calm that he got between the points, and the megawatt smile that lit up Arthur Ash Stadium after the game made the home fans and home fans happy. It has done so much in just three months, reached the last 16 at Wimbledon with its Grand Slam debut, climbed from 338 to just outside the top 30 when they were released next on Monday, and it's also been Britain's number one.
"When you see talent like that, it's undeniable," said Martina Navratilova, an 18-time individual Grand Slam winner. "It's almost like the finished product when it's just getting started." England fans will be relieved, the final will be held at a much better time than 21:00 EDT, and many of them sounded the alarm in the middle of the night as he played his semi-final. "The whole nation will applaud you in the final," Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter.