Raducanu’s victory in the US Open in 2021 is among the most memorable tennis moments in history. Regardless of your opinion of her as a player or the competition as a whole, the accomplishment alone makes it one of the most famous tennis moments in history.
No qualifier has ever won a Grand Slam competition, either before or after. Even though some external factors were involved, this is still a tremendous accomplishment. Marta Kostyuk, a Ukrainian tennis player, thinks Emma Raducanu’s draw wasn’t too hard, especially in contrast to Leylah Fernandez, her final opponent, who had a more challenging draw.
Every day, every slam, and every tournament is so distinct from the others. We play with different balls, under different settings, and with different… Everything has distinct adversaries. Everything has changed. I believe that a lot depends.
There are those who draw very easily and people who draw very difficultly. I can give you the simplest example of what Leylah and Emma had and what draw they had in the final. I mean no disrespect to Emma, but every single match, Leylah was fighting for her life.”
You can only play those in front of you, but Fernandez encountered tougher competition on his way to the championship match. Similar to Fernandez, Raducanu won every match and advanced to the final; nevertheless, she emerged victorious in what is likely the most significant match.
Since it’s not the end, what came before doesn’t really matter. Raducanu faced five players in the Top 50 and one player outside the Top 100, but
Not only did Fernandez face four players in the Top 50, but he also faced three players in the Top 10, therefore he faced no opponents outside of the Top 100. She was up against third-place finisher Naomi Osaka, fifth-place finisher Elina Svitolina, and second-place finisher Aryna Sabalenka.
Emma Raducanu Fernandez, Leylah
R1Voegele, Stefanie (128) Ana Konjuh, age 88
R2 Shuai Zhang (49) 70-year-old Kaia Kanepi
R3Sara Tormo Sorribes (41) Osaka Naomi (3)
R4Shelby Rogers (age 43) Kerber, Angelique (17)
quarterfinalBencic Belinda (12) Elina Svitolina, age five
Half-final Maria Sakkari, 18Sabalenka Aryna (2)
LastlyFernandez, Leylah (73) Emma Raducau, age 150
