British tennis star Emma Raducanu created history Friday by becoming the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam women's singles final with her game at the US Open. The 18-year-old now also holds the title of the youngest Grand Slam finalist in 17 years and the first British woman to reach a US Open final in over five decades.
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Raducanu sailed into the finals defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in the semi-finals, 6-1, 6-4. She is set to face Canada's Leylah Fernandez at the US Open showdown in New York on Sunday that will witness an all-teen match for the first time in over 20 years. The last one was played in 1999 between Serena Williams and Martina Hingis.
"I'm in the final and I can't actually believe it," Raducanu said after her win. A video of her, stunned following her semis victory, has gone viral online.
Born in Canada, Raducanu shifted to England with her family at a young age. She picked up the racquet at only five years old and has been playing professionally since 2018. She made her Wimbledon debut this year, tracing an exciting journey that led her to world no. 42 Marketa Vondrousova on a wildcard entry.
Raducanu is presently ranked 150th. Her rise up in the rankings has been the subject of much chatter this year as she builds several records as a teen British woman with every game. "Being someone who has not been able to compete much and who has always been held back by something, to be at the Championships I feel like I am on a holiday," she said at Wimbledon.
As per the BBC, Raducanu is well on her way to becoming the highest-paid sportswoman in the UK this year, following her entry into finals alone, for which she will receive $1.2 million. A string of endorsements
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