A new beginning for women's tennis on display in U.S. Open women's final
Leylah Fernandez, left, and Emma Raducanu pose with their trophies after the U.S. Open women's final at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Friday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
When Emma Raducanu came to Flushing Meadows two weeks ago, she already had booked her flight back home to England. There were tickets in her name, ready for her at the end of the qualifying — a sensible, logical step to take in the world of the U.S. Open, where 105th- ranked players make good fodder for tennis’ biggest names.
But then she won one match and another (and another and another and a few more), all the way to history, becoming the first qualifier to reach the final in the Open era. And then she won that, too.
And Raducanu? Well, now she can’t ever quite go home again. At least not in the way she knows it.
Oh, there’s no doubt that Raducanu, 18, who became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam final since 1977, will fly back to celebrate with her parents, who couldn’t be in Flushing Saturday because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. But instead of returning as a relative unknown, she, along with her opponent, fiery Leylah Fernandez, 19, emerge from this year’s tournament as the tentative new faces of tennis.
After her win Saturday, she even got a call from the Queen. The idea of her new life hasn’t settled in yet, but it’s coming.
"I definitely think it’s the time to just switch off from any future thoughts or any plans, any schedule," she said. "I’ve got absolutely no clue. Right now, no care in the world. I’m just loving life."
As well she should. While Serena Williams, 39, sat out recovering from injury, and the No. 1 player in the world, Ashleigh Barty, was defeated in the third round, these two teens emerged — hungry, energetic and, for opponents unfamiliar with their style, completely unpredictable.
Raducanu didn’t drop a single set on her path to stardom, and that held true Saturday, when she beat Fernandez, 6-4, 6-3. She played fast and fearless, almost as if she couldn’t wait to get on with it, with that big, wide serve that has lent itself so well to the U.S. Open.
She skinned her knee in the second set, and rather than be unnerved by the five-minute stoppage, she took it in stride. Fernandez, meanwhile, used that energy to put on a rousing last stand before falling on Raducanu’s match-winning ace.
Though Fernandez came up short, there was no doubt that she, too, won over plenty of fans in these past few weeks, both in Queens and around the globe.
"There’s one thing that really surprised me was that the more that I’m more outgoing on court and that I try to get the crowd involved, the more I’m playing well," she said. "Usually when I was younger, I’d try to be as calm as possible, just like \[Roger\] Federer. I’m glad that I’ve discovered that of myself, that I play a lot better when I’m . . . using the crowd to my advantage."
Unlike Raducanu, who had a slightly less difficult road to travel (her highest-ranked opponent was No. 11 Belinda Bencic), Fernandez’s path was hewn through adversity.
Fernandez, ranked 73rd, knocked off No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals and took down No. 3 Naomi Osaka in the third round. She proved adept at climbing out of holes, meaning that even when Raducanu appeared to have her solved, she didn’t seem beat.
Entering Saturday’s match, she had played 12 hours and 45 minutes of U.S. Open tennis to Raducanu’s 7 hours, 42 minutes. When it was all finally over, she collapsed in her seat, completely spent, her hair freed from the tight bun she wore. She had tears in her eyes but didn’t cry, as if she knew definitively that this was just the beginning.
"Hopefully we’ll have many more tournaments together and many finals," Fernandez said.
It sure looks that way.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
