Thursday, September 09, 2021
A historic US Open victory
The sensational run of the qualifier
For the first time in the history of the US Open, a qualifier will advance to the semi-finals of the US Open. The 18-year-old Emma Raducanu is also only the third player beyond the top 100 to achieve this feat. But with the unexpected success, “nice problems” also come to the British.
The audience in New York is regularly ecstatic, the press back home is crazy – but Emma Raducanu stays amazingly cool. “I really enjoy this experience,” said the 18-year-old Englishwoman after her sensational run from qualifying to the semi-finals of the US Open, which surprised her a little: “I think my flights were booked for the end of qualifying. It is a nice problem that I have. ”
The athlete from Bromley in the south of London remained even in the difficult quarter-finals against the strong Olympic champion Belinda Bencic from Switzerland with a 6: 3, 6: 4 success without losing a set. On Friday night (approx. 3 a.m. CEST / Eurosport) she is now fighting against Maria Sakkari from Greece for a place in her first Grand Slam final. “It was a very, very tough match,” said Raducanu. “Belinda is an incredibly strong opponent, I’m really happy that I made it.”
Raducanu, 150th in the WTA ranking, is the first ever to qualify in the New York semifinals and only the third tennis player outside the top 100 after Billie Jean King in 1979 and Kim Clijsters in 2009 to make it that far. The 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez from Canada, another surprise at the US Open, and Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus are dueling for the second ticket to the final.
Parents cannot enter
Raducanu is already on the way to becoming a star in England at a young age. “The teenager from Bromley should find an equal opponent in Belinda Bencic, but she dismantled the Swiss woman with a masterly achievement”, wrote the “Guardian”. And the tabloid “Sun” found Raducanu’s success “totally blatant. What a run for a girl who a month ago was sweating more because of her high school graduation results than because of her forehand and backhand blows.”
Raducanu remains calm, she attributes her mental strength to the upbringing of her parents. Her Romanian father and Chinese mother cannot witness their daughter’s successes on site. Due to the current entry restrictions, nothing can be changed. “It’s too late for that,” said Raducanu. But she can do it pretty well on her own at the US Open.
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