Tennis: Emma Raducanu, winner of the US Open

Britain's Emma Raducanu (18 years old) became the first tennis player in history to come out of qualifying and win a Grand Slam tournament, after defeating 19 year old Canadian Leylah Fernandez in two sets (6-4, 6-3), on Saturday in New York, in the US Open final, which was attended by 23.000 spectators, reports Agerpres.

This success is even more impressive in the conditions in which Raducanu, number 150 worldwide before this competition, won all ten matches played at Flushing Meadows without giving up any set. The last player to do so was American Serena Williams in 2014.

Emma Raducanu, whose father is Romanian, achieved this performance in only her second participation in a Grand Slam tournament, after the one at Wimbledon, where due to medical problems she couldn't continue in the eighth finals. Last month, she reached the finals of the WTA 125 tournament in Chicago.

"I feel like I'm living a dream. I've always wanted to win a Grand Slam tournament. It's something you're thinking about and preparing for. But I still can't believe I've achieved this performance," the new champion said, after the final.

Starting with Monday, Emma Raducanu will become the best ranked British player, climbing to the 23rd place in the WTA thanks to the success in the US Open. She is the youngest winner of a major tournament, after the Russian Maria Sharapova, winner at Wimbledon in 2004, at the age of 17.

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent congratulatory messages to the new champion from Flushing Meadows, who came in possession of a check worth $ 2.5 million after Saturday's victory.

Translated by: Radu Matei