remarkable rad
Emma Raducanu WINS the US Open! Teenager makes history with incredible triumph as she becomes first British woman to win major tournament in 44 years
Emma Raducanu has accomplished one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time - winning the US Open at just 18 years old.
The British sensation defeated fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in an entralling final to seal a barely believable victory in New York.
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Raducanu is the first British woman since Virginia Wade, who was watching from the stands, 44 years ago to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The feat is all the more incredible given she had to qualify for this tournament and was playing in only her second major.
Raducanu, from Bromley, is yet to even win a match on the WTA Tour and little over three months ago she was a full-time schoolgirl completing her A-levels.
She is the first qualifier - male or female - to win a Slam in the Open era and was victorious in all 20 sets she played in qualifying and the main draw at Flushing Meadows.
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The Queen was among those to send Britain's newest sporting superstar a message of congratulations.
"I send my congratulations to you on your success in winning the United States Open Tennis Championships,"; a message from The Queen to the teenager read.
"It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is testament to your hard work and dedication.
"I have no doubt your outstanding performance, and that of your opponent Leylah Fernandez, will inspire the next generation of tennis players. I send my warmest good wishes to you and your many supporters."
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Raducanu will head back to London with prize money of £1.8million - more than eight times her current career earnings - and will move from her current world ranking of 150 to 23.
She has spent the past three weeks in New York away from her parents, Ian and Renee, who were forced to watch their daughter on TV because of the continuing difficulties of international travel.
"I've always dreamed of winning a grand slam," said Raducanu.
"You say, 'I want to win a grand slam', but to have the belief I did, and actually executing, winning a grand slam, I can't believe it.
"I first started when I was a little girl but I think the biggest thing that you have visions of, for me it was just winning, the winning moment, and going to celebrate with your team in the box. That's been playing in my head a couple of nights. I've fallen asleep to that."
One of Raducanu's proudest achievements was impressing her dad, who has been the driving force behind the scenes.
She said: "I would have loved them to be here, and we can all celebrate together where they could be with me and experience the same things. But they're watching from home very proud.
"My dad, he said to me, 'You're even better than your dad thought', so that was reassurance. Tinie Tempah reference there. My dad is definitely very tough to please. But I managed to today."
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Beaten opponent Fernandez more than played her part in an enthralling final under the lights in New York on Saturday.
The Canadian is only two months older than Raducanu having celebrated her 19th birthday earlier this week.
But having claimed a host of big scalps, including defending champion Naomi Osaka, she had no answer to the brilliance of Raducanu, who claimed her 6-4 6-3 victory in an hour and 51 minutes.
Fernandez fought back tears on the podium but could reflect on a superb tournament.
She said: "It's incredible. I honestly have no idea what to say. Today's going to be hard to recuperate but Emma played amazing so I congratulate Emma and your team."
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Raducanu surged into a 2-0 lead but Fernandez pegged her straight back and it was nip and tuck all through a brilliant first set until the 10th game.
The biggest difference between the two was perhaps Raducanu's exceptional returning, and she piled on the pressure before taking her fourth set point with a forehand winner down the line, raising her arms aloft and letting out a huge 'Come on'.
Four games in a row for Raducanu from an early break down in the second set took her to the brink of victory but Fernandez is a tenacious competitor and she saved two match points at 5-2 to force her opponent to try to serve it out.
The unsuccessful efforts of trying to prevent a break point resulted in Raducanu cutting her leg, requiring a medical timeout at the most inopportune of moments.
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Fernandez was furious but Raducanu composed herself, saved two break points and clinched victory in fittingly clinical style with an ace.
Of the medical timeout, the Brit said: "I didn't actually want to stop because I thought it would disrupt my rhythm.
"But I couldn't play on. I wasn't allowed to because my knee was gushing with blood. I guess I just went over and was really trying to think what my patterns of play were going to be, what I was going to try to execute.
"Going out there facing a break point after a two or three-minute disruption isn't easy. I think I managed to really pull off the clutch plays when I needed to."
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Raducanu has gone overnight from a rank outsider to one of the top names in the game but she swatted away any talk of pressure.
"I don't feel absolutely any pressure," she said. "I'm still only 18 years old. I'm just having a free swing at anything that comes my way. That's how I faced every match here in the States. It got me this trophy, so I don't think I should change anything."
Tim Henman, meanwhile, believes this is just the start of a history-making career for Raducanu.
"What she has achieved, second grand slam and the way she has gone about it, she will win more of these, she is that good," he told Amazon Prime.
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";This is not some flash in the pan or fairy tale. She is playing top five tennis.
"Her world will be turned upside down but she has good people around her. It will be a hell of a ride if she can stay injury free."
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