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sports Dialuna 13 September 2021

US Open champion Raducanu shows poise at just 18

(AP) — Emma Raducanu sat on trophy at the end. And the youngest events such as one in Landisville,
her sideline chair at Arthur Ashe female champion at a Grand Slam Someone who only recently had Pennsylvania, with total prize money,
Stadium with her left knee, in her tournament since Maria Sharapova finished her high school exams put for all entrants, of $100,000 (she col-
words, “gushing with blood.” was 17 in 2004. everything aside after Wimbledon — lected $2.5 million on Saturday) and
the surge of attention, the ups and focused on her “craft,” as she put it.
OK, maybe a bit of hyperbole there. That doesn’t necessarily mean, of downs, the hard-for-her-to-accept
Still, the 18-year-old from Britain course, that Raducanu is destined to mid-match retirement in front of a “With each match and tournament
had just hurt herself on a fall behind accumulate multiple major titles and home crowd — and got right back to and week, I think I’ve really built in
the baseline at a most inopportune climb to No. 1 in the WTA rankings, work. terms of confidence, in terms of my
moment: serving for the U.S. Open the way Sharapova did. There’s a long game, in terms of my ball-striking.
championship in only the second way to go for both of those achieve- “Wimbledon was such an incredible Everything came together today,” Ra-
Grand Slam tournament of her na- ments, although Raducanu will rise experience. Fourth round, second ducanu said late Saturday, the silver
scent career. to No. 23 on Monday after beginning week, I couldn’t believe it. I thought: trophy sitting on a table in front of
the season at No. 345 and the U.S. What a great achievement,” Raduca- her. “Yeah, I think to pull off some of
When play resumed after a trainer Open at No. 150. nu said. “But I was still hungry.” the shots I did in the big moments,
cleaned and bandaged Raducanu’s when I really needed it, was just an
cut, she was about to face a break Still, there is no denying the shot- She went to the United States for accumulation of everything I’ve
point in Saturday’s final against making and the poise that allowed the hard-court circuit that leads into learnt in the past five weeks.”
19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernan- Raducanu to win 10 consecutive the U.S. Open, playing in lower-tier
dez. This was after Raducanu already straight-set matches, three in qualify-
had wasted two match points in the ing, seven in the main draw. She uses
previous game. Could have been a an attacking baseline style, built on
time to lose her focus, lose her way. speed and anticipation, helped by a
To be overwhelmed by it all. superb backhand and a topspin-heavy
forehand that produced down-the-
Instead, this is what Raducanu’s line winners to close the first set and
thought process was during that delay, the break that put her up 4-2 in the
a mindset that bodes well for the out- second against Fernandez.
of-nowhere title winner at Flushing
Meadows: “I guess I just went over Also propitious for Raducanu: the
and was really trying to think what way she handled what happened at
my patterns of play were going to be, Wimbledon in her Grand Slam debut
what I was going to try to execute. just a few months ago.
Going out there facing a break point
after a two-, three-minute disrup- Despite having played merely one
tion isn’t easy. I think I managed for match on the professional tour — a
sure to really pull off the clutch plays loss — she got into the field thanks
when I needed to.” to a wild-card invitation from the All
England Club and immediately made
Just as she did throughout her im- an impression. She went all the way
pressive trip to New York. Her 6-4, to the fourth round before stopping
6-3 victory over Fernandez — who during that match when she felt dizzy
had been playing well enough to beat and had trouble breathing.
defending champion Naomi Osaka
and three other seeded women over The next day, Raducanu said that “the
the past two weeks — made Radu- whole experience caught up with
canu a star. me,” but also made this statement:
“Last night will go a long way to help-
It also made her the first player in the ing me learn what it takes to perform
professional era, which began in 1968, at the top.”
to go from the qualifying rounds at
a major to the person clutching the Talk about a quick study.

Djokovic bids for history at US Open: year Slam, 21st major

(AP) — Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows by Ro- at stake, describing herself as traction and deplete me from the grass of Wimbledon in
remembers just how close berta Vinci. Now Djokovic “fed up” by constant ques- the vital energy that I need.” July.
Serena Williams came to a is a step closer, heading into tions about the true Grand
calendar-year Grand Slam the U.S. Open final on Sun- Slam. In addition to the quest to This will be Djokovic’s re-
in 2015 before coming up day against Daniil Medvedev go 4 for 4 at Slams, the No. cord-tying 31st Grand Slam
short at the U.S. Open. needing one more victory to Like Williams, Djokovic 1-ranked Djokovic has an- final and record-setting ninth
go 28-0 at Grand Slam tour- lately has sought to limit his other milestone in his sights. at the U.S. Open.
He recalls chatting with Wil- naments and claim all four discussion of what he is try-
liams during that tournament trophies in a single season. ing to do. If he beats No. 2 Medvedev “If you look at the stats, if you
about all that went along with for a 21st career major cham- look at the pure game of ten-
a bid for the rare achieve- No man has done that since “I’ll be giving it all I’ve pos- pionship, Djokovic would nis action, he’s the greatest of
ment, which has only been Rod Laver did it for a second sibly got in the tank to win eclipse the men’s record all time,” Zverev said. “No-
accomplished by two men time in 1969, no woman since this match. I’m focusing on he currently shares with ri- body is there with him, be-
and three women in the his- Steffi Graf in 1988. (Laver recovery, recalibrating all the vals Roger Federer and Ra- cause (he has the) most weeks
tory of a sport that dates to was in the stands for Friday’s systems, basically, for Sun- fael Nadal. A fourth title on world No. 1, most Masters
the late 1800s. semifinals and is expected to day,” he said after eliminating the hard courts of Flushing 1000s titles, most likely going
be there Sunday, too). No. 4 Alexander Zverev 4-6, Meadows would be added to to be the most Grand Slams,
After winning the Austra- 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the a ninth on the hard courts of at the end of the day. And he
lian Open, French Open As the end line neared six semifinals. “I’m not going to Melbourne Park in February, has the chance of winning all
and Wimbledon, Williams years ago, Williams was not waste time or energy on any- second on the clay of Roland four in the same year. How
was upset in the semifinals fond of discussing what was thing that can just be a dis- Garros in June and sixth on do you compete with that?”