US Open 2021, women’s final as it happened: Raducanu beats Fernandez to cap a truly remarkable run
Emma Raducanu ends Britain's 44-year wait for a women's Grand Slam singles champion.
Emma Raducanu will rise from No. 150 to No. 23 in Monday’s WTA rankings.
Leylah Fernandez in tears at the ceremony: “It’s incredible! Today is going to be hard to recuperate from. But you know what, I am proud of myself, the crowd has been amazing, they have had my back.”
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 6-3
Raducanu saved the breakpoint and then another before getting a championship point. And this time, she won it. She won 10 rounds – including the qualifiers – to win it all. What a run! What a champion! The scoreline won’t tell you what a battle this match was.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 5-3
30-40, Raducanu a breakpoint and we have a physio on court. Raducanu scraped her knee while attempting a return and have a short break.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 5-3
30-40. A Championship point for Raducanu but Fernandez with some solid play to make it deuce. The crowd getting behind the Canadian. Raducanu was going nowhere though. A big forehand gave her another Championship point but another shot into the net made it deuce, the third of the game. This time, Fernandez held on. What fight! She keeps fighting on. Raducanu will now have a chance to serve it out.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 5-2
Easy hold and Raducanu is just one game away from the trophy. All the pressure is on Fernandez. Solid play.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 4-2
Back-to-back breaks for Raducanu. She is just two games away from winning it all. She guessed right as Fernandez attacked the short ball and got a clean winner.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 3-2
Solid hold for Raducanu. Will give her more confidence going forward. If anything, she has seemed to be in much more control on her serve than Fernandez.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 2-2
Raducanu got a breakpoint of her own and converted it right away to get the second set back on serve. Such a battle in the middle.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 1-2
Now, Fernandez had two breakpoints and Raducanu saved the first one with some authoratative groundstrokes and an error from the Canadian made it deuce. But she eventually for the break. Don’t go anywhere... this set is far from done.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 1-1
Three breakpoints for Raducanu before Fernandez made it deuce. Missed opportunities. But this keeps the Canadian in the hunt. A crucial hold.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4, 1-0
Solid hold to begin the second set for Raducanu. How will Fernandez respond to the loss of the opening set?
First set stats: Both players have not served well. This isn’t over. Not yet but going up a set gives Raducanu a huge advantage.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 6-4
Raducanu had two set point but Fernandez played two solid points to make it deuce. But then Raducanu got another set point and Fernandez helped matters by sending the first serve into the net. But the Canadian saved it again. Then, Raducanu sealed the set with a lovely forehand down the line. It was a low ball and she almost got down on her knees to place it into the open court. The world no 150 is one set away from winning the US Open.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 5-4
Nice hold for Raducanu. No fuss. She needed this. Fernandez will now serve to stay in the set.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 4-4
Fernandez started the game with her fourth double fault of the match. She got herself a game point but then a wild forehand made it deuce. The Canadian then managed to win the next two points to take the game.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 4-3
30-30 again before Raducanu hit a superb down-the-line winner to give herself a game point. Great hold. Fernandez had a chance to go 40-15 up in that one but she failed to get her return over the high part of the net. Both players seem to be settling in better now. We are seeing some spectacular rallies now.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 3-3
If anything, Fernandez is just pushing a bit too hard and that has led to a few too many errors from her end at the moment. 15-15 to start the sixth game in the first set, followed by a double fault to make it 15-30. But she came through to hold her serve again.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 3-2
The pressure now on Raducanu. Another double fault made it 0-30 but she quickly brought it back level to 30-30 and then gave herself a game point. It was a tricky game but Raducanu closed it out well.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 2-2
When Fernandez gets her first serve in, she is in control of the point. The rest of her game just flows. Lovely play by the Canadian to give herself a 40-0 lead. Raducanu made it 30-40 but solid hold.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 2-1
The game went to deuce but an unforced error gave Fernandez the advantage, one that she couldn’t make full use of. Then, a third breakpoint was saved before a double fault gave Fernandez her fourth BP which finally led to the break. We are back on serve. It feels like this is going to be the kind of match in which both players are going to look forward to their return games more.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 2-0
A nervous start for Fernandez in her service game. A return winner, a double fault and an unforced error gave Raducanu three breakpoints. Fernandez saved all three of them despite her serve not firing. Raducanu had two more breakpoints, which were both saved by Fernandez. Both players had chances to close out the game before Raducanu finally got the break.
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Fernandez: 1-0
Nice and easy hold for Raducanu. Fernandez with a few good shots off her own – including a crosscourt backhand winner to start the match.
Players are on the court now: Short quick interviews before walking onto the court. Nerves. Vacant stares. And a whole lot of anticipation. Fernandez or Raducanu... who is your pick to win today?
Total time on court leading up to the final: This could be a factor today. Fernandez has spent 12 hours and 45 minutes on court but Raducanu has spent just 7 hours and 42 minutes. The latter did play the qualifiers too.
In a match featuring an exciting new generation of women’s tennis, teenagers Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez face each other in an unlikely US Open final today.
British 18-year-old Raducanu, the first qualifier ever to reach a Grand Slam final, will attempt to become the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977.
She has not dropped a single set on her way to the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fernandez, a 19-year-old Canadian left-hander ranked 73 in the world, has beaten defending champion Naomi Osaka, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and fifth seed Elina Svitolina on her passage to the final.
It is the first time teenagers have met in a Grand Slam final since 17-year-old Serena Williams beat Martina Hingis, 18, at the 1999 US Open.
Path to the final
Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
RD128: bt Ana Konjuh (CRO) 7-6 (7/3), 6-2
RD64: bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 7-5, 7-5
RD32: bt Naomi Osaka (JPN x3) 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
RD16: bt Angelique Kerber (GER x16) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2
QF: bt Elina Svitolina (UKR x5) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5)
SF: bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x2) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4
Emma Raducanu (GBR)
RD128: bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-2, 6-3
RD64: bt Zhang Shuai (CHN) 6-2, 6-4
RD32: bt Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 6-0, 6-1
RD16: bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 6-2, 6-1
QF: bt Belinda Bencic (SUI x11) 6-3, 6-4
SF: bt Maria Sakkari (GER x17) 6-1, 6-4