Emma Raducanu defeats Leylah Fernandez in US Open women's singles final
Two unseeded teenagers – Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez – defied the odds as they competed for the US Open women’s singles title on Saturday as first-time Grand Slam finalists.
In the end, it was Great Britain’s 18-year-old Raducanu who came out on top, defeating Canada’s Fernandez, 19, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Raducanu is the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam, the first British woman to win the US Open singles title since Virginia Wade in 1968, and the youngest female player to win a Grand Slam title since a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004.
Both women had a historic run to get to the final. Raducanu beat a pair of top-20 players (No. 11 Belinda Bencic and No. 17 Maria Sakkari) in the quarterfinals and semifinals, while Fernandez beat two former US Open champions (No. 3 Naomi Osaka and No. 16 Angelique Kerber) in the third and fourth rounds, followed by two top-five players (No. 5 Elina Svitolina and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka).
Here are the top moments from the first all-teen US Open final since 1999!
It was a star-studded event at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Right out of the gate, Raducanu took an early 2-0 lead.
But Fernandez wasted no time striking back, leveling up the first set at 2-2.
Both women put on a show, but it was Raducanu who edged past Fernandez to grab the opener 6-4.
And just like that, it was one set down, one to go.
Fernandez came out swinging in the second set, saving a triple-break point to hold for 1-1 early on.
Raducanu quickly went up 5-2, but Fernandez didn't quit.
She pulled off a crucial hold to stay alive and pull within 5-3 …
… And with momentum on her side, Fernandez battled to give herself a chance to break Raducanu's serve.
But Raducanu skinned her knee on the play and needed an injury timeout to stem the flow of blood. When she returned to action, Raducanu rallied to finish out the set 6-3 to win the match.
