In the ninth Grand Slam final between two teenagers in the Open Era, British qualifier Emma Raducanu edged Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3. It was an entertaining match, as both players displayed brave, aggressive tennis.
In the second game that lasted 10 minutes, Fernandez recovered from 0-40, but Raducanu finally converted her sixth break point and opened the match with a 2-0 lead. Fernandez, who had upset two ex-champions and three Top-5 players en route to the final, immediately earned a break back in another marathon game and then leveled to 2-2.
The next four games went with serve, but Raducanu closed out the set by winning two consecutive games. Let me remind you, the British qualifier had dropped just 27 games on her way to the final, without losing a set, and spent five hours less on the court than Fernandez.
Just as it looked that Raducanu would dominate the start of the second set, Fernandez won five points in a row to level the set at 1-1 and then edged the following game to break her opponent. The world No.73’s lead was short-lived, as 150th-ranked Raducanu won four straight games and held two match points on her opponent’s serve.
Fernandez fought off those match points and earned a break point in the next game, as Raducanu slightly injured her leg while sliding. After a medical timeout, Fernandez was close to getting the set back on serve, but Raducanu edged the important game and sealed victory with an ace on her third match point.
Both finalists are projected to break into the Top 50 in Monday’s new WTA rankings. Fernandez will rise to No.27, while champion Raducanu will climb to No.23.
Raducanu’s winning gear: the Nike Fall NY Slam Tank, Nike Fall NY Slam Skirt,
Nike React Vapor NXT White/Green tennis shoes and Wilson Blade 98 v7 tennis racquet.
