Two years ago, Emma Raducanu was not sure tennis was the perfect fit and she kept her education as a backup option but there are no more doubts for the British teenager as her fairytale run takes her to her first major final at the US Open.
After a stunning fourth-round appearance at her major debut at Wimbledon two months ago, Raducanu made tennis history by reaching the final of the US Open, beating Maria Sakkari in straight sets to become the first qualifier to reach the final of a grand slam tournament.
A triumph in the US Open final on Saturday would see the 18-year-old become Britain's top-ranked female, at 24th in the world, when the rankings are updated on Monday.
She started this hardcourt major ranked 150th.
I never really realised that I would take tennis as a career until maybe two years ago
Raducanu credited her trips abroad during her age-group tournaments for developing the confidence to succeed on bigger stages.
"When I started having results early on on those trips, it definitely was eye-opening that I could do something," she told reporters on Thursday.
"But I never really realised that I would take tennis as a career until maybe two years ago.
"Yeah, I always have my education as a backup. I was doing it alongside my tennis. I had options. I still do. But obviously I'm a 100 per cent in my tennis now."
Grand Slam dreams
Born to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, Raducanu said she was inspired by China's two-time major winner Li Na while growing up.
Her biggest triumph until now was her 2019 title at an International Tennis Federation $25,000 event at Pune, India.
She has now become the first qualifier in both men's and women's tennis to reach a Grand Slam final and has done so without dropping a set in New York.
"I always had dreams of playing in Grand Slams but I just didn't know when they would come," she said, with her usual beaming smile on her face.
"To come this early, at this point in my career, I've only really been on tour for a month, two months since Wimbledon. It's pretty crazy to me.
"I knew I had some sort of level inside of me that was similar to these girls, but I didn't know if I was able to maintain it over a set or over two sets. To be able to do it and play the best players in the world and beat them, I honestly can't believe it."
A look at Raducanu’s New York fairytale so far:
Qualifying round one – beat Bibiane Schoofs 6-1 6-2
Raducanu came into qualifying with expectations sky-high after her Wimbledon run and subsequent good form in the US and she eased past Dutchwoman Schoofs in her first match.
Qualifying round two – beat Mariam Bolkvadze 6-3 7-5
The hardest match Raducanu has had so far came against 167th-ranked Georgian Bolkvadze. In hot and humid conditions, the British player trailed by a break in the second set but recovered impressively.
Qualifying round three – beat Mayar Sherif 6-1 6-4
An impressive result for Raducanu against Egyptian Sherif, the fourth seed in qualifying and a player having a fine season. Raducanu dominated the first set and booked her spot in the main draw with an ace.
Round one – beat Stefanie Voegele 6-2 6-3
Raducanu had a stroke of luck when her intended opponent, last year’s semi-finalist Jennifer Brady, pulled out through injury and she made short work of lucky loser Voegele.
Round two – beat Zhang Shuai 6-2 6-4
Raducanu had lost heavily to Zhang a few weeks ago but showed the pace of her improvement with another confident win, holding off a fightback from her Chinese opponent having led 4-0 in the second set.
Round three – beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0 6-1
An extraordinary performance from Raducanu against an in-form player ranked 41. The teenager won the first 11 games with a combination of first-strike brilliance and strong defence.
Round four – beat Shelby Rogers 6-2 6-1
Start spreading the news 🗽@EmmaRaducanu | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/9BJiPAcPf7
— wta (@WTA) September 6, 2021
Rogers had defeated top seed Ashleigh Barty in round three and made far too many errors but Raducanu handled her debut at Arthur Ashe Stadium with aplomb, overcoming a nervy start with another run of 11 games.
Quarter-finals – beat Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-4
A 🇬🇧 STAR IS BORN ✨#USOpen | @EmmaRaducanu https://t.co/iWYFmhKgcB
— wta (@WTA) September 8, 2021
Bencic had won 13 of her 14 previous matches and after breaking Raducanu’s serve in the opening game went 2-0 up, but the Brit soon found her range and never looked back as the accuracy of her heavy groundstrokes overwhelmed the world number 12.
Semi-finals – beat Maria Sakkari 6-1 6-4
This is what pure joy looks like. pic.twitter.com/o0KHBFlPKW
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2021
Greek 17th seed Sakkari is a fierce competitor and an experienced campaigner, but Raducanu raced away with the first set and nervelessly finished her off in the second to reach the final.
