Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari LIVE result: British teen storms through to US Open final
Follow all the reaction from New York as British 18-year-old Emma Raducanu becomes the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam singles final
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Emma Raducanu continued her historic run at the US Open as she defeated Maria Sakkari to set up a sensational all-teenage final against Leylah Fernandez in New York.
Raducanu sealed an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 victory over 17th seed Sakkari to become the first British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977 to reach a Grand Slam singles final, on what has been a dream debut at Flushing Meadows.
In doing so, the 18-year-old becomes the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final and is the youngest US Open finalist in more than 20 years, after 19-year-old Fernandez had briefly held that record following her three-sets win over second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Raducanu withstood early pressure from Sakkari as she saved seven break points in her opening two service games, but was clinical as she broke her opponent early to establish a 3-0 lead in the opening set. A further break of serve underlined Raducanu’s perfect start as the teenager quickly established control before going on to claim the first set 6-1.
The teenager dominated the second set and did not face a single break point on her serve and while Sakkari responded to the challenge by saving a number of break point opportunities herself, Raducanu’s early break in the second set was enough as she kept her nerve to serve out a remarkable victory.
Saturday’s final against Canadian Fernandez will also be the first in Grand Slam history to feature two unseeded players, and the first meeting of two teenagers since 1999. “Is there any expectation?” Raducanu laughed when asked during her on-court interview about the possibility of winning the US Open. “I’m a qualifier, technically there’s no pressure on me.”
Follow all the reaction from the US Open semi-finals below.
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
If you wanted a statistic to show how impressive Emma Raducanu has been at the US Open - apart from the fact that she is yet to drop a set, of course - then you only have to look at how effective she has been when returning serve.
Raducanu’s return points win percentage is 53 percent through to the quarter-finals, the highest out of any player in the tournament. That figure rises to 61 per cent when she faces a second serve, which increases the pressure on her opponent to make sure their first attempt lands.
It sets up an intriguing match-up against the big-serving Maria Sakkari. The 17th seed’s average first serve speed of 107 miles per hour ranks highly amongst the field and it was dominant in her quarter-final win against Karolina Pliskova.
Sakkari won an astonishing 24 of 26 points on the back of her first serve as she claimed a 6-4, 6-4 win, without giving up a single break point.
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
Aryna Sabalenka is feeling the pressure as she looks to respond against Leylah Fernandez. The world No 2 was given a warning from the umpire after she obliterated her racket in frustration, as Fernandez cancelled out her early break of serve at the start of the second set.
We’re on serve at 3-3 in the second and Sabalenka is desperately trying to get some support from the packed crowd at Arthur Ashe, who are fully behind the 19-year-old Canadian.
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
Emma Raducanu has the talent and mentality to ensure her extraordinary summer surge is far from a flash in the pan, according to the last British woman to reach the US Open semi-finals in 1983.
Jo Durie, the former British number one and world number five, believes Raducanu, who made her unlikely breakthrough when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this summer, has already proven she has what it takes.
“She’s got such a good solid game – she can hit the ball hard at the right time, and her serve stands up under pressure,” Durie told the PA news agency.
“She works very hard at her game and with all of that behind her, for me it points to her being consistently up there in the future.”
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
In Maria Sakkari, Raducanu faces an experienced and fiercely competitive opponent. The 17th seed reached her first Grand Slam semi-final of her career at the French Open earlier this year and has defeated former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu and world No 4 Karolina Pliskova in advancing to the last four. The Greek, who is currently ranked 132 places above Raducanu, insists she is not the favourite for tonight’s semi-final, however. “
Obviously she’s having the tournament of her life,” Sakkari said. ”She deserves to be here. She has won all these matches. But I wouldn’t call myself the favourite. I think we all have equal chances of winning the semi-finals and then winning the title. I would give 25 per cent to each starting tomorrow, then 50 to the two finalists.”
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
Wow, incredible from Leylah Fernandez! The 19-year-old has taken the first set against world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka on a tiebreak at the Arthur Ashe stadium.
Sabalenka got off to a fast start, breaking Fernandez’s opening service to take a 3-0 lead. The Belarusian was looking incredibly strong, especially on her first serve, but Fernandez stayed calm to stage an impressive comeback.
The Canadian hauled herself back into contention before breaking Sabalenka to move to 4-4. She then saved a set point in her final service game to force the tiebreak, which she won 7-3.
The crowd at Arthur Ashe are fully behind the 19-year-old star.
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
Emma Raducanu has done a remarkable job of staying in the moment during her sensational run to the US Open semi-finals and says she is taking her journey one step at a time as bids to reach the final on her debut appearance in New York. “I have just been focusing one day at a time, taking care of each day,” she said. “When you’re playing tournaments, you just get into this sort of auto-pilot mode of your routines, recovering on the day off in between. I didn’t expect to be here at all. I think my flights were booked at the end of qualifying, so it’s a nice problem to have. I’m just really enjoying the experience.”
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
Raducanu faces a quick turnaround from her last match, which was a stunning 6-3 6-4 victory over the Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. The 18-year-old faced early pressure as she dropped her opening service game but then took over the contest, dominating the world No 12 in what was the toughest match of her career so far. “I knew it was going to be an extremely difficult match,” Raducanu said. “It took me some adjusting at the beginning to get used to her ball speed, how aggressive she was. Once I adjusted, I settled in, I didn’t over-press as much. I found a way to win, but it was very difficult to play against someone at such a high level.”
Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the US Open semi-final between Emma Raducanu and Maria Sakkari. Whether you’ve stayed up late for this one or have set an early alarm, you’ve already made the right call, with 18-year-old Raducanu aiming to extend her remarkable and historic run in New York by becoming the first British woman since 1977 to reach a Grand Slam singles final. The teenage qualifier has sparked on her way to the semi-final stage, and this is not one to be missed.
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