US Open 2021: Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez - "Magical, crazy, unbelievable"
With Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, there are two women in the final of the US Open 2021, which nobody had expected in advance. The two teenagers play the tennis of their lives in New York City.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Sep 10, 2021, 11:53 am
Women's tennis is often said to be prone to big sensations. Anyone, so the reading, could beat anyone on the WTA tour. What is often brought up as a point of criticism for the consistency of the world's best is more evidence of the outstanding density of world-class players on the women's tour.
Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez have provided further confirmation of this in the past few days. While the latter went unset in the last major tournament of the year as number 73 on the WTA charts, Raducanu even had to fight for a place in the main field through qualification.
Raducanu in shock
Now the two women are in the final. And sensational. The two main protagonists themselves can hardly believe that, Emma Raducanu, for example, said after her semi-final victory over Maria Sakkari, she was still in shock: "It means a lot to me to come here. Of course I wanted to reach the final of a Grand Slam, but I didn't expect that I would make it so quickly. I have no words, " said the British woman.
The dimensions of Raducanu's surprise are particularly illustrated by her previous experience on the tour. A title on the ITF tour in Pune, India, said the British woman, was her greatest success so far. "Of course, reaching the US Open is my greatest success so far as a professional tennis player, and by far," emphasizes the 18-year-old, who triggered a wave of enthusiasm with her power tennis - also in her home country Great Britain. It's just crazy, explains Raducanu.
Fernandez: "Nothing is impossible"
In the final, Raducanu is now up against a lady who was probably just as unlikely in a Grand Slam final: Candidate Leylah Fernandez. For the 19-year-old, her entry into the final is confirmation that anyone can achieve anything: "Nothing is impossible. My father always told me that there are no limits to my potential and that everyone who knows me knows how far I can go. I work very hard every day to achieve things like today. "
Like her British opponent in the final, Fernandez is in a frenzy during the US Open: "I think I do incredible things. It's like it's all magical. Besides the good results I get, it's the way I do it Way I've been playing the last few days. Plus, I'm having fun and trying to play tennis and have a good time for the fans. "