The Grand Slam title match in New York on Saturday was the first between two unseeded players
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Author of the article:Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Sep 11, 2021 •
Author of the article:Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Sep 11, 2021 •
Laval's Leylah Fernandez hits a forehand against Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in the women's singles final of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, in Flushing, N.Y.
PHOTO BY ROBERT DEUTSCH /USA TODAY Sports
Leylah Fernandez, 19, who visibly fought fatigue, lost in two straight sets to fellow Canadian Emma Raducanu, 18, but who plays out of Great Britain.
The final U.S. Open matchup was the first between two unseeded players.
Raducanu had service to start the match and she drew first blood, winning the game.
She broke Fernandez’s serve to go up 2-0 early in the first set after a hard-fought second game that went to five deuces and featured long rallies.
Fernandez broke Raducanu’s serve in the third game to narrow her lead to 2-1, which again saw three deuces.
The Laval native bore down to take the next game and square the contest at 2-2.
Raducanu took the lead back and the match was at 3-2 early in the first set, but Fernandez smartly replied to tie it 3-3.
The two teenagers continued their hard battle with terrific back and forth action, but it was Raducanu who finally regained the momentum with a 4-3 lead as Fernandez struggled with her serve, recording only a 45-per-cent success rate.
However, Fernandez, who appeared to be tiring, held her serve and tied the tight match at 4-4, but Raducanu again takes the lead at 5-4, forcing Fernandez to hold serve in the next game or lose the set.
Fernandez valiantly tried to rescue the set by surviving four set points, but Raducanu ended up the winner of the first set 6-4.
Raducanu didn’t let up, winning the first game in the second set, but Fernandez fought back down 40-0 in the next game to tie the second set at 1-1.
Egged on by the crowd, Fernandez broke Raducanu’s serve to go up two games to one. Raducanu didn’t falter and won the next game to tie the second set at 2-2. And she didn’t stop there, taking a 3-2 lead with tight, but entertaining, play on the court.
The match started to get away from Fernandez as Raducanu jumped out to to a 40-15 advantage and won the next two games, holding a commanding 5-2 lead in the second set.
The deciding game went to deuce as Fernandez gamely tried to hang on and she held the first advantage, only to go back to deuce again. Raducanu went up on advantage, but Fernandez tied it deuce.
Fighting to stave off Raducanu’s championship point, Fernandez held advantage and then won the game to stay in the match 5-3.
Fernandez had the crowd roaring their approval as she held a 40-30 lead in the next game and then had to wait when Raducanu needed medical treatment for a cut on her shin.
Fernandez looked like she was complaining to the umpire on the length of the medical timeout, which lasted five minutes.
Raducanu was serving and took the game to deuce, before winning the championship point with a service ace and the U.S. Open title 6-4, 6-3.
“As for the three weeks I’ve spent in New York I would say that having such a supportive team like I have over there… everyone in that team and everyone back home who isn’t here but is watching on TV thank you so much,” said Raducanu, who will shoot up from 150th to No. 24 in the world rankings on Monday.
“Most of all I would say thank you to everyone here New York thank you all for making me feel so at home from my first qualifying match all the way to the final.”
“I know on this day it was especially hard for New York and everyone around the United States,” said Fernandez, the match played as Americans commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
“I just want to say that I hope I can be as strong and as resilient as New York has been the past 20 years.”
When asked before the match what her last two weeks was like Fernandez replied: “It’s been incredible. I’ve been having a lot fun on the court. I’ve been having fun. I can’t wait for the final today.”
Raducanu, who was born in Toronto and moved to Great Britain when she was two, was ranked 336th in the world earlier this year. She’s the first player in history to have made it all the way from the qualifying round to a Grand Slam final.
“It’s so exciting to be in my second Grand Slam and in the final. I can’t believe it,” Raducanu said before the first volley.
Fernandez’s string at victories at the U.S. Open included knocking off former world No. 1 ranked players Naomi Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam events, and Angelique Kerber who has three titles.
She also stunned the fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals and the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
After the win over Sabalenka on Thursday night, Fernandez cited the training that lead to her success.”It has taken years and years of hard work, blood and on-court, off-court sacrifice,” she said in the on-court interview. “I just wanted to be in the final, and I fought for every point and Aryna fought for the same thing.”
She also related the story about a former teacher who told her to quit tennis. “She told me to stop playing tennis, you will never make it, and just focus on school,” Fernandez said. “I’m glad she told that because every day I have that phrase in my head saying: ‘I’m going to keep going, push through, prove to her everything I’ve dreamed of, I’m going to prove.'”
Leylah Fernandez, 19, who visibly fought fatigue, lost in two straight sets to fellow Canadian Emma Raducanu, 18, but who plays out of Great Britain.
The final U.S. Open matchup was the first between two unseeded players.
Raducanu had service to start the match and she drew first blood, winning the game.
She broke Fernandez’s serve to go up 2-0 early in the first set after a hard-fought second game that went to five deuces and featured long rallies.
Fernandez broke Raducanu’s serve in the third game to narrow her lead to 2-1, which again saw three deuces.
The Laval native bore down to take the next game and square the contest at 2-2.
Raducanu took the lead back and the match was at 3-2 early in the first set, but Fernandez smartly replied to tie it 3-3.
The two teenagers continued their hard battle with terrific back and forth action, but it was Raducanu who finally regained the momentum with a 4-3 lead as Fernandez struggled with her serve, recording only a 45-per-cent success rate.
However, Fernandez, who appeared to be tiring, held her serve and tied the tight match at 4-4, but Raducanu again takes the lead at 5-4, forcing Fernandez to hold serve in the next game or lose the set.
Fernandez valiantly tried to rescue the set by surviving four set points, but Raducanu ended up the winner of the first set 6-4.
Raducanu didn’t let up, winning the first game in the second set, but Fernandez fought back down 40-0 in the next game to tie the second set at 1-1.
Egged on by the crowd, Fernandez broke Raducanu’s serve to go up two games to one. Raducanu didn’t falter and won the next game to tie the second set at 2-2. And she didn’t stop there, taking a 3-2 lead with tight, but entertaining, play on the court.
The match started to get away from Fernandez as Raducanu jumped out to to a 40-15 advantage and won the next two games, holding a commanding 5-2 lead in the second set.
The deciding game went to deuce as Fernandez gamely tried to hang on and she held the first advantage, only to go back to deuce again. Raducanu went up on advantage, but Fernandez tied it deuce.
Fighting to stave off Raducanu’s championship point, Fernandez held advantage and then won the game to stay in the match 5-3.
Fernandez had the crowd roaring their approval as she held a 40-30 lead in the next game and then had to wait when Raducanu needed medical treatment for a cut on her shin.
Fernandez looked like she was complaining to the umpire on the length of the medical timeout, which lasted five minutes.
Raducanu was serving and took the game to deuce, before winning the championship point with a service ace and the U.S. Open title 6-4, 6-3.
“As for the three weeks I’ve spent in New York I would say that having such a supportive team like I have over there… everyone in that team and everyone back home who isn’t here but is watching on TV thank you so much,” said Raducanu, who will shoot up from 150th to No. 24 in the world rankings on Monday.
“Most of all I would say thank you to everyone here New York thank you all for making me feel so at home from my first qualifying match all the way to the final.”
“I know on this day it was especially hard for New York and everyone around the United States,” said Fernandez, the match played as Americans commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
“I just want to say that I hope I can be as strong and as resilient as New York has been the past 20 years.”
When asked before the match what her last two weeks was like Fernandez replied: “It’s been incredible. I’ve been having a lot fun on the court. I’ve been having fun. I can’t wait for the final today.”
Raducanu, who was born in Toronto and moved to Great Britain when she was two, was ranked 336th in the world earlier this year. She’s the first player in history to have made it all the way from the qualifying round to a Grand Slam final.
“It’s so exciting to be in my second Grand Slam and in the final. I can’t believe it,” Raducanu said before the first volley.
Fernandez’s string at victories at the U.S. Open included knocking off former world No. 1 ranked players Naomi Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam events, and Angelique Kerber who has three titles.
She also stunned the fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals and the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
After the win over Sabalenka on Thursday night, Fernandez cited the training that lead to her success.”It has taken years and years of hard work, blood and on-court, off-court sacrifice,” she said in the on-court interview. “I just wanted to be in the final, and I fought for every point and Aryna fought for the same thing.”
She also related the story about a former teacher who told her to quit tennis. “She told me to stop playing tennis, you will never make it, and just focus on school,” Fernandez said. “I’m glad she told that because every day I have that phrase in my head saying: ‘I’m going to keep going, push through, prove to her everything I’ve dreamed of, I’m going to prove.'”
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