tennis

Britain's Raducanu, 18, beats Fernandez, 19, to win U.S. Open

36 Comments
By HOWARD FENDRICH

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


36 Comments
Login to comment

Congratulations to Brit Emma Raducanu, 18 (Romanian father, Chinese mother), and Canadian Leylah Fernandez, 19 (Ecuadorian father, Filipino Canadian mother), both of whom superbly represented their countries and heritage by demonstrating exceptional court skills and maturely and actively engaging with the press and public. The bright, cheerful countenance of these two is welcoming, and the tennis community is elated to have them as emerging stars and role models. 

Interestingly, Raducanu credits her mother and her Asian heritage with her work ethic and composure on court: “For me, having a Chinese mom, she definitely instilled from a young age hard work, discipline.” As for Fernandez, her mother left their home in Canada for a job in California to help support the family and her daughter’s training for a period.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

That was one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Good for Raducanu - she seems a breath of fresh air!

Born in Canada, a mix of Chinese and Romanian, and is British.

She should go on to win many Majors.

0 ( +13 / -13 )

Got up early to watch the match - and it was well worth it. It was probably the most difficult match Radders has faced, despite the score. Really impressed by Fernandez's nerves of steel, when facing two championship points on her own serve and managed to save both and her service game.

Radders has got to be the favourite for UK Sports Person of the Year.

For the whole tournament, the whole country has been captivated and yet, ironically, the tournament was not shown on any terrestrial or cable TV channel!!! C4 had to step it on the last day and it was worth it for the Brits, I would imagine!

Forget the American dream. This is the British dream!

Gambare Nippon:

Born in Canada, a mix of Chinese and Romanian, and is British.

Both Canada and GB have shown the way.

Asiaman7, Mr Kipling:

Exceedlingly well said.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Also, I have to say, it's frightening the way she managed to win the US Open when she was outside the top 300 only a few weeks ago and only started on the main WTA tour at the pre-Wimbledon tournament. Not to sound rude, but she was then a nobody to most people, even to tennis watchers. And she'd taken time off to concentrate on studying and ended up getting grades any applicant to a Russell group university would be proud of.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

I’m sorry I missed that. Well done to broth of them.

Not sure what the significance of this is though: “Fernandez — a 19-year-old left-hander from Canada ranked 73rd — spoke to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic.”

Is speaking against the rules?

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Edit. Broth = both!

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Is speaking against the rules?

No, it's certainly not. But Radders was dripping blood from her leg. I don't think she wanted to stop, but if she didn't then somebody like the umpire would have requested her to get that wound fixed up before carrying on.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

And she'd taken time off to concentrate on studying and ended up getting grades any applicant to a Russell group university would be proud of.

Both her grades were excellent, and in another life would have gone to a top university. Back in April and May she was a relative unknown, at her high school taking exams.

It's a stunning achievement, and great to see such a likeable person do so well. Pity her parents couldn't make it. They must have been freaking out watching the coverage on TV.

Fernandez was great too - highly talented and will get even better.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

peeping tom:

She was born in Canada!

Neither parent is from Britain. Father is Romanian, mother Chinese.

And your point is? She never changed nationality but gained another one, a long time ago. She used GB resources, grew up in London from the age of two. If she had played for any other country, people would have been criticizing her for using up local resources. There have been many many others who have chosen to represent GB at a very late stage. And soon to be GB ex-number one Joanna Konta has been very very quiet.

zichi:

Amazing achievement. Watched free by tens of millions of Brits, including the queen rooting for her.

It's funny you should mention the queen. Răducanu has little in common with the royal family. For starters, she's not scared of US courts. Second, she sweat a bit in her match. Just a bit.

Sorry, this joke has been doing the rounds on the internet. I couldn't resist.

3 ( +11 / -8 )

Congratulations to both of these fine young ladies and true ambassadors of tennis and sports. Hopefully we'll see and read more of them instead of you-know-who.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Massive achievement!

It looks like the highest-seeded player Raducanu beat on route to the title was 11th, so a bit of a crazy tournament by the sounds. Whatever happened, she has certainly grasped the chance with both hands. And wow, 2.5 million USD for winning. That is seriously a lot of money.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Congrats to those ladies for their well deserved success.

The article mentions that they are teenagers. No they are not since over 18.

My son who is an avid tennis TV watcher and player told me that with women, rank is not much representative of real future performance especially nowadays. Total opposite of men's average performance. Foe your information, number 1 (Dkokovic) will play number 2 (Medvedev) today in men's final.

I ought to wishing them a reliable continuation but all statistics are against it.

Exceptions they may be.

Radunacu my favorite player now since she is both cute and intellectual, which is worth noticing.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Raducanu was very talkative in her press conference, answering questions with a maturity that belied her age, but reflected her experience. A Japanese journalist 'Aki' calling in via telephone in the press conference asked her about roles models and also mentioned Naomi Osaka.

Emma spoke that Li Na, China's first Grand Slam champion, was a big inspiration, and ignored the bait!

13 ( +16 / -3 )

Raducanu was very talkative in her press conference, answering questions with a maturity that belied her age

She’s obviously very bright and articulate. If she wasn’t good at tennis, she could have a very good career elsewhere.

Got the lot.

Well done to both players. Superb from both.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Raducanu may have won the match, but Fernandez won the post-match on court speeches to the crowd. She paid a wonderful tribute to NYC on the anniversary of 9/11, even though she wasn't born when that tragedy took place. It was a bit tone deaf of Raducanu not to do likewise.

-19 ( +2 / -21 )

Ego:

Raducanu may have won the match, but Fernandez won the post-match on court speeches to the crowd. She paid a wonderful tribute to NYC on the anniversary of 9/11, even though she wasn't born when that tragedy took place. It was a bit tone deaf of Raducanu not to do likewise.

Only because Fernandez lost and had to give her speech first. Had Radders also mentioned 9/11, she would have sounded like a copycat, but I have no doubt had she been asked to give her speech first, she would have mentioned it. As many have noted, she's not stupid, and she always gives credit where it's due.

Wanderlust:

Raducanu was very talkative in her press conference, answering questions with a maturity that belied her age, but reflected her experience. A Japanese journalist 'Aki' calling in via telephone in the press conference asked her about roles models and also mentioned Naomi Osaka.

Emma spoke that Li Na, China's first Grand Slam champion, was a big inspiration, and ignored the bait!

Yes, I recall a question from a Japanese reporter, and she just had to bring up Japan and Osaka. But I can't remember how Radders answered. Japan, Osaka and Osaka's mother had nothing to do with this win, but connecting everything back to Japan is so typical of these reporters.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

Hopefully, women's tennis is now turning a new page brimming with high energy, charisma and positivity.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Hopefully, women's tennis is now turning a new page brimming with high energy, charisma and positivity.

It did a few years back with Ash! She ticks all those boxes.

Awesome job by Emma! Surely one to watch at home in Wimbledon 2022!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

A truly astonishing achievement. Courage, character, and charisma rolled in to one.

That is the up side.

The pinch, expectations have been raised to unheard of levels.

The British media could well require unseeded British teenager Emma Raducanu to conquer the world of tennis on this one momentous result.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I guess Raducanu don't be made to pay on the qualification tournaments for future grand slam tournaments.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Diversity, superdiversity, and conviviality are vital ingredients for an exciting world-building. Congratulations to champion Emma Raducanu and to challenger and runner-up Leylah Fernandez. Well done. All the best in future Grand Slams.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

The UK media could be building Emma Raducanu up to eventually pull her down.

-10 ( +0 / -10 )

There are some parallels between Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu.

-13 ( +0 / -13 )

There are some parallels between Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu.

One does not speak the language of the country she plays for, lives in Hollywood in a multi million dollar mansion yet spends her time wallowing in victimhood and Marxist activism. The other is an underdog who represents her country with dignity, positivity and passion, who eloquently represents herself to the media. I see no correlation other than they can both pickup a tennis racket. Chalk and cheese mate.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

Congratulations to Brit Emma Raducanu, 18 (Romanian father, Chinese mother), and Canadian Leylah Fernandez, 19 (Ecuadorian father, Filipino Canadian mother), both of whom superbly represented their countries and heritage by demonstrating exceptional court skills 

Huh? Why the identity politics attempt? Should we who post on this site announce our ancestry too? Does everyone in the news now require a genetic overview? Weird.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

TokyoJoe, what were our life's golds at 18 years of age.

I am in my thirties.

It would have been neigh impossible to to have achieved the goals that Emma Raducanu without doubt thoroughly deserved,

However lets not lose sight without the manifestation abstract course of events

How much of that is through circumstance?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Not sure what the significance of this is though: “Fernandez — a 19-year-old left-hander from Canada ranked 73rd — spoke to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic.”

The significance of it is Raducanu stalling for 4 minutes to take a breather for a bloody knee that should have been patched up in 1 minute. You can be certain that Martinez brought the stall tactic to the attention of the umpire.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

I hope you're not suggesting Raducanu skidded on purpose, and demanded a time-out to stop that bleeding just so that she could take a 'breather' on purpose.

No Pukey2, nowhere in my comment do I insinuate anyone skidded on purpose. I suggest you brush up on your reading skills. I was simply explaining why Martinez most likely spoke to the ump to help someone who had commented earlier understand the "significance" of Fernandez speaking to the aforementioned ump. It's quite clear for me to see that you are trying to instigate something here when there's absolutely nothing to see. Move on...people like you deserve zero attention, so I won't be continuing this. By the way, you chose an apt moniker. It suits you well. So long...

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

ooly:

So why did you say:

You can be certain that Martinez brought the stall tactic to the attention of the umpire.

Laylah most probably didn't use the word 'stall', I'm guessing, but you did.

I don't need to brush up on my reading skills. You need to brush up on your writing skills, unless you really meant Emma wanted to stall the game.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

ooly:

And who the heck is Martinez? And no, Emma Halep did not win, just in case you're going to ask.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Huh? Why the identity politics attempt?

I didn't read identity politics into it. The PC culture can definitely get way over sensitive.

But if identity politics of being Asian is something you want to push, the difference between a surly Naomi Osaka contrasting to the positive diversity with a refreshing joy of the two finalists for the world to see, I'm ok.

Asians like Radacanu and Fernandez are beautiful, strong, gracious and smart, with great personalities. That's identifiable.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

History has a habit of repeating itself

Sue Baker, highlights this......

“We have to remember that Emma is going to suddenly get the pressure and the expectation, she has to have that. personally, the way she’s handling herself, it’s not going to affect her. Hopefully I’m right, with it comes that."*

“You mention Naomi Osaka, she was only 20 when she won the US Open and she said it changed her life, changed her life in a way she didn’t like".

This is the parallel I am referring to.

Not culture, or knowledge, intelligence, language, birth place.

It is the pressure, the expectancy.

The demands of social media

Serena Williams is probably, mentally, one of the most casehardened tennis champions ever. Williams could swipe away the media as much as her opponents

0 ( +0 / -0 )

We are all just one step away from success or failure, that is life

Now lets compare......

[FULL] 2018 US Open trophy ceremony with Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka | ESPN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCm3BemDlj8

Now fast forward 2021....

Naomi Osaka Press Conference | 2021 US O. pen Round 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_g4izDqqwA

Ok ........

Emma Raducanu Press Conference | 2021 US Open Final

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isnmepwH2Ks&t=213s

At eighteen I was leaving high school,

My life experience was built, encased on the years that followed in business, not in sport.

Yet those year gave me the experience to succeed

You can never learn, if you don't embrace life's up and downs

The media expectations that Emma Raducanu must emulate, could end up being her future downfall.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites