Raducanu, Fernandez set up battle of teens in US Open final

Leylah Fernandez

Emma Raducanu

NEW YORK (Reuters): It will be the Big Apple battle of teenagers in Saturday’s US Open final after Britain’s Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier to reach the title clash at a major, joining Canadian Leylah Fernandez as the duo continued their giant-killing spree.

The final under the lights at the colossal Arthur Ashe Stadium between Fernandez and Raducanu will be the first major final in the Open Era across both the men’s and women’s game to feature two unseeded players.

It will also mark the first Grand Slam final to be contested by two teenagers since the 1999 US Open between Serena Williams and Martina Hingis.

Both Raducanu, 18, and Fernandez, who turned 19 this week, were yet to be born then.

Fernandez was the first to book her spot with yet another upset on Thursday as she took down second seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4 in the first semi-final.

Raducanu wasted little time joining her, wrapping up her contest against Greek Maria Sakkari 6-1 6-4 in 84 minutes to become the first British woman to reach a major final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.

Playing in just her fourth tour-level tournament, Raducanu has not dropped a set in New York - the first woman to make the US Open final without dropping a set since German Angelique Kerber in 2016.

Their fearless tennis has endeared both to the fans, and the crowd will have a tough choice deciding who to back on Saturday.

A win in the final would see Raducanu jump to 24th in the rankings, a massive climb after starting the hardcourt major ranked 150th in the world.

Left-handed Fernandez, who can make her top-20 debut by winning the US Open, has been no less impressive. The Canadian has shown she can beat anyone, with victories here over four-time major winner and US champion Naomi Osaka, three-time Grand Slam winner Kerber and fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals.

She looked at sea against the power of big-hitting Sabalenka at the start of that match, but soon found her groove as her Belarusian opponent squandered her chances.

It was her third win in four matches against top-five players in the world.