Kate Middleton, Liam Gallagher and Marcus Rashford congratulate Emma Raducanu on reaching US Open final
‘We will all be rooting for you tomorrow,’ says duchess
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Your support makes all the difference.The Duchess of Cambridge has led the list of high-profile people offering their congratulations to British tennis player Emma Raducanu for her performance in the US Open semi-final, which she won over Maria Sakkari.
On Thursday, the 18-year-old made history by becoming the first qualifier to reach a grand slam final with a dominant 6-1 6-4 victory over Greek pro Sakkari.
If she wins in the final, which is due to take place on Saturday and will see Raducanu competing against fellow teen Leylah Fernandez, she would become the first British female winner at Flushing Meadows since Virginia Wade in 1968.
Kate Middleton, who is an avid tennis fan, tweeted her congratulations on Friday via the Kensington Royal Twitter account, signing off with her initial “C” to indicate that the tweet had come from her.
“What an incredible achievement at this year’s #USOpen @EmmaRaducanu!” she said.
“We will all be rooting for you tomorrow Wishing you the best of luck! C.”
The duchess’s comments follow those made by a series of other famous faces, including Liam Gallagher, who tweeted: “Can u dig it congratulations to Emma Raducanu c’mon LG [sic]”.
Marcus Rashford also offered his support, tweeting: “Congrats @EmmaRaducanu what an achievement already!! Good luck this weekend we’re all be cheering you on back home.”
Meanwhile, Gary Lineker said of Raducanu’s win: “What an extraordinary achievement. A US Open final at 18 years old and a qualifier to boot. Wow! Well played @EmmaRaducanu.”
The teenager also attracted praise from those in her field, including former British number one Tim Henman, who described Raducanu’s performance in the semi-final as “simply stunning”.
“It’s an absolutely staggering performance,” he told Amazon Prime.
“If we just look at the way she came out and played, her quality of tennis from start to finish, she was so resilient. She never flinched.
“She never let up. It was relentless. And then you’ve got to throw in the scenario of being a qualifier, an 18-year-old, with all the legends who have ever played this game at grand slam level.”
Henman continued: “She is the first person to qualify and reach the final. It’s simply stunning.
“She deserves all the credit in the world. On the biggest stage in our sport at every opportunity she plays on her terms. It’s incredible to watch.
“She’ll need to enjoy this tonight and then get ready for Saturday.”
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