Pioneer at 18

When Emma Raducanu arrived in New York three weeks ago to play the US Open preview, she could not imagine that only a few days later she would be champion at 18 years old., in her second Grand Slam and from such a low ranking, since it was the 150th in the world. It is now the 24th. But the British born in Toronto (Canada) and raised from the age of two in Bromley (England), with a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, made the craziest of her dreams come true by defeating another teenager 6-4, 6-3 in the final, the Canadian of 19 just turned Leylah Fernandez, of varied roots (Ecuadorian and Philippine), like its rival.

Raducanu is the first female or male tennis player to win a major since the previous one. And the first also that he achieves it having played only two. In addition, he does so without losing a set in ten games, with 34 games on loan (4.8 on average) in the seven in the main draw. She is also the ninth youngest Slam winner in the Open Era (since 1968). To achieve this he had to sweat and even bleed (he scraped his left leg in the last game). Fernández, 73rd in the ranking that becomes 27th, was left without a prize after eliminating Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina and Sabalenka.

He left, at least, to a thunderous applause at the trophy presentation from the crowd that filled the Arthur Ashe. With tears in his eyes, he remembered all those affected by the attacks of 9/11, a fateful date for New Yorkers and for the entire world that will mark two decades. “I want to be as resilient and strong as New York has been for the last 20 years. Thank you for believing in me, for helping me and supporting me. I hope to come back to win the right trophy, “Leylah said.

The smile of the tournament

“In these three weeks that I have spent in New York I have had the support of my team and of all the people from my country. I hope to maintain it for many years. Here they have made me feel at home since my first match in the previous one. Thanks. I love playing in front of you and I hope that Leylah and I gave you a good performance, “said Raducanu, with the ease of speech of a veteran and that open smile that she has maintained throughout the US Open. “I think the future of women’s tennis is very great. I think any player in the box can win any tournament. Hopefully in the next generation we can follow in the footsteps of some of the great legends, like Billie Jean King, who is here (and gave him the cup), or other British icons like Virginia (Wade, the last winner of his nationality at the 1968 US Open) and Tim (Henman), “he continued.

Results, table and schedules.