The 2021 US Open was missing some of its biggest names. There was no Serena or Venus or Rafa or Roger. But that’s okay because there is Leylah and Emma.
On Saturday, the two teenagers — the just-turned-19 Leylah Fernandez and the 18-year-old Emma Raducanu — will face off for the Grand Slam crown.
“I think one word that really stuck to me is ‘magical’ because not only is my run really good but also the way I’m playing right now,” said the Canadian Fernandez after she beat World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the semifinals. “I’m just having fun, 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.”
MORE — Fernandez’s father and coach, Jorge, won’t be at final: ‘I’m extremely superstitious’
Magical is definitely a good word for it as the Laval, Que., native has been playing fearless, big-time tennis. She’s been painting lines with whipping left-handed forehands, strong service games and a tenacity seen in players twice her age. Over the course of the last two weeks she sent defending champion Naomi Osaka, 2016 champ Angelique Kerber, fifth-seed Elina Svitolina and No. 2-ranked Sabalenka home. That’s three top-5 seeds — two former No. 1’s — if you weren’t keeping track.
Now she is the elder statesman, facing off the Toronto-born, Great Britain-raised Raducanu. The first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era — yep, she had to win three matches to make the main draw — hasn’t dropped a single set since she hit Flushing, Queens. Along the way she knocked off Shelby Rogers (who toppled No. 1 Ash Barty), Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari in the last three rounds.
“Honestly, I just can’t believe it. A shock. Crazy. All of the above,” said Raducanu after she won her semis against Sakkari. “But, yeah, it means a lot to be here in this situation. I wanted obviously to, like, be playing Grand Slams, but I didn’t know how soon that would be. To be in a Grand Slam final at this stage of my career, yeah, I have no words.”
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The pair, who actually met in the 2018 Wimbledon girls’ singles Round of 16 with Raducanu winning 6-2, 6-4, are now on the precipice of their first-ever Grand Slam title. Kind of a shocker these are the last two standing considering Fernandez entered the US Open ranked 73rd in the WTA singles rankings while Raducanu came in at 150th. It marks the first meeting of two teenagers in the final since Serena Williams beat Martina Hingis in New York in 1999.
Two years ago, Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title. Just two short years later, there’s another woman storming the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. She’ll face a tough opponent in Raducanu. Sporting News has all the action as the two teens battle it out for their first Grand Slam title in the 2021 US Open final.
MORE: Watch the US Open live with fuboTV (7-day trial)
Leylah Fernandez vs. Emma Raducanu results, highlights from 2021 US Open women’s final
First set
Raducanu leads 2-0
Fernandez looking nervous as she double faults to go down 0-30 and then hits a forehand unforced error to give Raducanu three break points. But the Canadian mounts a come back to even it at deuce. After five deuces, Raducanu comes through on her sixth break point as Fernandez cannot handle the return.
Raducanu leads 1-0
Raducanu serving to start things off. Fernandez wins the first point but Raducanu takes the opening game with a backhand crosscourt winner.
Pre-game
4:10 p.m. — Players take the court. The cheers for Fernandez are slightly louder.
3:50 p.m. — After her quarterfinal win over Elina Svitolina in the 2021 US Open, Fernandez was asked what they were feeding the Canadian players that had them playing such inspiring tennis. The just-turned 19-year-old responded, on cue: “I would say it’s the maple syrup.”
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