British teenager Emma Raducanu completed thegreatest underdog title triumph in tennis history on Saturday, becoming thefirst qualifier to capture a Grand Slam title with a straight-set defeat ofCanada’s Leylah Fernandez in the US Open women’s final.
Emma Raducanu, the teenage phenomenon fromBritain, pulled off one of tennis' great triumphs when she beat LeylahFernandez of Canada in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) to win the US Open women'ssingles title. In the process, she created history by becoming the firstqualifier - man or woman - to win a Grand Slam title.
The 18-year-old world number 150 is also thefirst British woman in 44 years to win a Slam crown. Soon after her victory,congratulatory messages flooded social media, celebrating the teenager'striumph. Among those who wished her were Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess ofCambridge Kate Middleton.
Queen Elizabeth II congratulated Emma and said that shehad "no doubt" that the performances of Raducanu and Fernandez"will inspire the next generation of tennis players".
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tweeted, “Hugecongratulations @EmmaRaducanu on your stunning performances and historic GrandSlam victory! Incredible –we are all so proud of you. @LeylahFernandez welldone on your amazing achievements at this year’s #USOpen, it’s been a pleasureto watch. “
UK President, Borris Johnson wrote in histweet, “What a sensational match! Huge congratulations to @EmmaRaducanu. Youshowed extraordinary skill, poise and guts and we are all hugely proud of you.”
The official Twitter handle of Wimbledonwrote, "Unbelievable. Unforgettable. Unstoppable", and added,"Emma Raducanu completes her New York fairytale with the US Opentitle."
Raducanu said after winning the match, "Iknew I would have to dig deep. It was an incredibly difficult match but Ithought the level was really high. I had to play some of my best tennis."