Britain’s 18-year-old tennis prodigy Emma Raducanu has triumphed over Greek player and the Grand Slam’s 17th seed Maria Sakkari to reach the finals of the US Open, becoming the first tennis player ever — both men and women — to reach the finals of a Major as a qualifier.
Despite being ranked significantly lower than Sakkari in the WTA global rankings, Raducanu continued on her spree of top performance over the past weeks to take home the first set in a breezy 6-1. The Greek player picked up her pace in the second set, giving Raducanu more pressure and strengthening her holds, but nonetheless succumbed to the British teenager’s aggressive and consistent play. The match ultimately concluded at 6-1, 6-4 to Raducanu.
Asked about how she’d handle the pressure of entering the finals of the US Open at just 18 years old, Raducanu replied: “Is there any expectation? I’m a qualifier so technically on paper there’s no pressure on me.”
Raducanu will now play against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the US Open finals on September 11.
Elsewhere in the world of sports, Jerry West has called LeBron James “the smartest player I have ever seen play basketball.”
