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Dream comes true for Raducanu - 20th September 2021

Emma Raducanu ended Britain's 44-year wait for a women's Grand Slam singles champion as she beat Leylah Fernandez to win the US Open tennis competition.

The 18-year-old ended her incredible run in New York with a 6-4,6-3 win over her 19-year-old Canadian opponent in the high-quality final.

Raducanu threw herself to the floor in disbelief at the conclusion of a remarkable three-week journey.

She served for the match at 5-3 but cut her leg at a key point in the second set, leading to a medical intervention. An irritated Fernandez expressed her frustration to the match official, but Raducanu carried on playing with confidence.

At the end, the two young opponents hugged each other warmly, before Raducanu headed up the stairs at Arthur Ashe Stadium to celebrate victory with her team.

The tennis player's journey to success began early. Born in Canada, she moved with her parents – her Chinese mother and Romanian father – to London, where she grew up. At the age of five, she began playing tennis and two years later, she was competing in local and regional competitions in the south of England.

The 18-year-old is the first player to win a Grand Slam title after having to play through the qualifying rounds. Tennis players who are low-ranking need to compete in these initial rounds to enter the competition. Moreover, she is the first UK woman to win one of tennis' big tournaments for more than 40 years.

Virginia Wade, who was the last British woman to win a major trophy at Wimbledon in 1977, cheered on Raducanu in person.

Raducanu said on court, "It means so much to have Virginia Wade here and also Tim Henman." She continued, "They are British icons and for me to follow in their footsteps gave me the belief I could do it."