She breezed through the tournament without losing a single set. Emma Raducanu, who had only participated in one previous Grand Slam event, is now departing as the victorious women’s singles champion of the 2021 U.S. Open, marking her arrival in New York City.
She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this summer, which was her debut at a major tournament. She had only made her debut in professional tennis earlier this year, so it was not expected for her to win this Grand Slam title. Despite being only 18 years old and from Great Britain, she displayed dominance throughout the tournament.
In the final on Saturday, Raducanu triumphed with a score of 6-4, 6-3, making her the second adolescent in a span of three years to secure this championship. However, Raducanu displayed exceptional performance throughout the U.S. Open, culminating in a triumph over Leylah Fernandez, another unseeded teenager (Bianca Andreescu was 19 when she won in 2019).
Here’s a retrospective on how the women’s singles tournament unfolded over the final four rounds, culminating in an unexpected meeting between Raducanu and Fernandez in the final, which was accompanied by prize money.
U.S. Open Women’s Bracket: Quarterfinals to Championship Match.
Last 16.
Emma Raducanu defeated Shelby Rogers with a score of 6-2, 6-1.
No. 11 Belinda Bencic defeated No. 7 Iga Swiatek 7-6 (12), 6-3.
Karolina Pliskova, ranked fourth, defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ranked fourteenth, with a score of 7-5, 6-4.
No. 17 Maria Sakkari defeated No. 6 Bianca Andreescu 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3.
No. 5 Elina Svitolina defeated No. 12 Simona Halep with a score of 6-3, 6-3.
Leylah Fernandez defeated No. 16 Angelique Kerber with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Number 8 Barbora Krejcikova defeated Number 9 Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 7-6 (4).
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka defeated No. 15 Elise Mertens with a score of 6-4, 6-1.
Quarterfinals.
Emma Raducanu defeated the 11th-ranked player, Belinda Bencic, with a score of 6-3, 6-4.
No. 17 Maria Sakkari defeated No. 4 Karolina Pliskova with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
Leylah Fernandez defeated the 5th seed Elina Svitolina with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka defeated No. 8 Barbora Krejcikova with a score of 6-1, 6-4.
Semifinals.
Emma Raducanu defeated the 17th-ranked Maria Sakkari with a score of 6-1, 6-4.
Leylah Fernandez defeated the second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4.
Final.
Emma Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez with a score of 6-4, 6-3.
Prize Money.
Emma Raducanu (champion): $2.5 million.
Leylah Fernandez (second place): $1.25 million.
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka (semifinalist): $675,000.
No. 17 Maria Sakkari (participant in the semifinals): $675,000.
Karolina Pliskova, ranked number 4 and a quarterfinalist, earned a prize money of $425,000.
Elina Svitolina, ranked 5th, reached the quarterfinals and earned a total of $425,000.
Barbora Krejcikova, ranked 8th, reached the quarterfinals and earned a prize money of $425,000.
Belinda Bencic, ranked 11th and a quarterfinalist, earned a prize money of $425,000.
Round-of-16 participants: $265,000 prize money.
Round-of-32 participants: $180,000.
Round-of-64 participants: $115,000 prize.
Participants who finish in the round-of-128 will receive a prize money of $75,000.
Recap of the Women’s Final.
Raducanu, who had barely any experience heading into this year’s U.S. Open, practically had no opponent in the final. She had never made it past the third round in previous majors and had only played in six of them. Fernandez, on the other hand, had more experience and had made it further in the tournament.
Before the final, she competed in four consecutive matches that went the distance of three sets each, managing to secure wins in tightly contested games. She eliminated three opponents who held top five rankings (Sabalenka, Osaka, and Svitolina), and throughout her journey in the tournament, the Canadian consistently demonstrated her prowess as a formidable player. Nevertheless,
With the momentum of the Brit, she couldn’t be halted at all. It seemed like Fernandez was finally going to be the first player to set a win against Raducanu.
Raducanu astounded everyone at the U.S. Open–including herself.
Raducanu expressed, according to Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press, “I am astonished,” after winning a Grand Slam, effectively executing and having the confidence I possessed, but to emerge victorious in a Grand Slam, ‘I desire,’ you proclaim.
Placing Raducanu in rather exclusive company, this occurrence hadn’t occurred since 2014, when Serena Williams achieved it. Just how uncommon is it for an individual to secure the U.S. Open women’s singles championship without losing a single set throughout the entire journey?
In 1977, Virginia Wade emerged victorious at Wimbledon, marking the most recent instance of a British lady clinching a prominent competition. Maria Sharapova, who was just 19 years old back then, secured the championship in 2006 and held the record as the youngest female to claim a U.S. Open title prior to Andreescu’s remarkable victory.
It was utter control. Not one of her adversaries achieved victory in more than four games within a single set. She didn’t even have to participate in a tiebreaker. Raducanu maintained her composure throughout her impressive performance.
Additionally, the 2021 U.S. Open final might not mark the ultimate encounter between the duo. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the British player emerged victorious when they crossed paths at the 2018 Wimbledon junior tournament. It is important to mention that Saturday’s final was not the first occasion where Raducanu had competed against Fernandez.
“I eagerly anticipate facing off against one another in multiple upcoming competitions and, with any luck, in the championship round too,” stated Raducanu, according to ESPN’s Aishwarya Kumar.
It is possible that the sport would have a solely positive impact on that demonstrated quality on Saturday, and these adolescents could potentially become the future of women’s tennis as well, not only is that a realistic possibility.