Emma Raducanu soaked in tennis’ biggest stage and then set about starring on it as she became the youngest British player to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open for more than 60 years. This young star has worked hard to make it to this point and whole of Britain is there to support her thorough this journey.
Shelby Rogers had defeated world number one Ashleigh Barty in Arthur Ashe Stadium. But it was a very different experience for the American here as Raducanu reeled off 11 games in a row in a 6-2 6-1 victory to book a last-eight date with Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Raducanu was the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 1990 to reach at least the fourth round of her first two grand slam tournaments and she is only the third qualifier to reach the quarter-finals in New York. The nearly 24,000-capacity Ashe is the biggest stadium in tennis and Raducanu took time before the coin toss to gaze up at the towering stands.
Raducanu went onto state that “I definitely wanted to take it all in, I went out there to practise this morning, but there was no one in the crowd. So it did feel different going out there with a crowd, all of the lights, displays on the board. It did take some adjusting. I was really trying to enjoy the moment. It’s something that you dream of, to play on Ashe, the biggest court in the world. I really didn’t expect to be here so soon. I just really wanted to be in the present.”
Raducanu’s Wimbledon adventure ended in the fourth round in unfortunate circumstances when she struggled with breathing problems and had to retire, but she has shown with every match in New York how much she has progressed in the two months since.
Raducanu is the third teenager to make it through to the last eight after Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz. Speaking after her brilliant win over Angelique Kerber on Sunday, Fernandez said was not surprised by anything she had achieved this fortnight.
Raducanu Commented that “Leylah’s achieved great results, I think everyone is on their own trajectory. Personally, I am surprised that I’m here. I knew I was doing a lot of great work that would pay off someday, but you never know when. I’m super appreciative of the moment. To be here in the US Open, quarter-finals, after not playing for 18 months, is absolutely just incredible.”
The speed of Raducanu’s rise after taking time away from the match court to focus on her A levels is extraordinary. Having been ranked outside the world’s top 350 in June, she is now projected to break into the top 75, and one more victory would make her British number one.
