September 16, 2021
By Antonella Sessa
For the first time since 1999, two teenagers faced off in the U.S. Open tennis tournament final. 19-year-old Emma Raducanu (pictured right) from Great Britain and 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez (pictured left) from Canada battled for the title on Saturday. Raducanu won the match in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) to complete her undefeated record throughout the whole tournament. Both players came into the tournament unseeded. Raducanu was ranked 150th in the world, while Fernandez was ranked 73rd. With the win, Raducanu became the first player to go through qualifying tournaments and win a major tennis event. She also became the youngest person to win a major since 2004, and the first British woman to do it since 1977.
Raducanu’s success came as a surprise to everyone, especially her. After her win against Olympic Champion Belinda Bencic, she said in interviews that she had “booked a flight home” thinking she would not have come as far as she did. Since Raducanu was not ranked high coming into the tournament, she had to go through three rounds of qualifying to make it to the U.S. Open, her second career major tournament. As the opponents she faced became more skilled and decorated, the better Raducanu performed. In several interviews following her matches, she credited the love and support from her parents, as well as the lessons they taught her about positivity and strength with her success. Ahead of the final, she said, "I think that the calmness and the mental strength definitely comes from my upbringing. I think my parents have both instilled in me from a very young age to definitely have a positive attitude on the court.”
Both athletes showed their respect to each other and the environment they played in. The two congratulated each other after their match. Raducanu said, "It was an incredibly difficult match, but I thought the level was extremely high. And I hope we play each other in many more tournaments and, hopefully, finals." Fernandez offered similar congratulations to her opponent, while also paying tribute to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that occurred in New York, the location of the U.S. Open. After her match, she said, "I know on this day it was especially hard for New York and everyone around the United States. I just want to say that I hope I can be as strong and as resilient as New York has been the past 20 years.”
The popularity of both women has risen due to their success. Raducanu received congratulations from several British public figures including Prince William and Princess Kate, who tweeted their support for her, and Queen Elizabeth, who praised Raducanu’s win as “a remarkable achievement at such a young age.” Raducanu and Fernandez are two young trailblazers that are leading many to believe that there is a bright future ahead for young women in the sport of tennis.