Emma Raducanu, the first Open era player to reach the semi-finals at the US Open, is now the first after qualifying
Semi-final of the US Open women's singles - Raducanu and Sakkari Date: Friday 10 September Time: 02:02 BST Venue, Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Live radio commentary: BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and BBC Sport app. Live text commentary and in-depth coverage via the app and website
Emma Raducanu's US Open achievements are beyond tennis and capturing public imagination. The 18-year old trending on Twitter, and being congratulated on Twitter by a rock star for reaching semi-finals in New York.
Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher external-link , ex-England striker Gary Lineker external-link and London mayor Sadiq Khan external-link were among those queuing up to praise the British number-one-in-waiting following a quarter-final win over Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic.
Raducanu, who had started her campaign in qualifying, was supported by both sides of the Atlantic.
Canadian-born sensation Raducanu, who immigrated to Britain at the age of two, has dominated her way to the semis without dropping a set. Her ruthless groundstrokes are complemented by a beaming smile and an understanding that Raducanu wants to enjoy every second of this amazing run.
Virginia Wade, the British singles champion in 1977 at Wimbledon, said that there was no box her teenager could not play. Martina Navratilova, a Czech 18-time Grand Slam champion, stated that Raducanu has a "really high mental IQ and tennis IQ".
Raducanu's impressive win against Bencic has shown that Raducanu can be a formidable shot selector, a calm and competent opponent, and she is able to adapt and change to match her opponent's strengths.
The teenager has also made a name for herself among the Big Apple crowd, despite defeating Shelby Rogers in 16 of the previous 16 rounds. After every point she won against the Olympic champion Wednesday, there was a lot of applause at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
However, this is nothing when compared to the support Raducanu receives back home. British tennis fans continue their search for someone who can grasp the Grand Slam-winning baton of Andy Murray.
Wade: Raducanu is 'in that few who will dominate tennis'
"Yes Emma" was trending in the UK. "Go Emma," was also popular. Social media users offered suggestions for rebranding the SW19 slope, known as Henman Hill. Raducanu Rise anyone?
Just 10 weeks ago, just before her rise to the Wimbledon last 16 only the most avid tennis fans knew the name a teenager ranked below the top 300.
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, she had not played for 15 months.
Raducanu, who was collecting her A level results last month - an A* maths score and an A economics score - will officially replace Johanna Konta in Great Britain as the highest-ranked female player on Monday as she rises to the top of the world's 50 best players.
It is evident that she is capable of handling the responsibility, judging by her post-match interviews.
Her bank balance will be significantly increased by earning $675,000 (490,000.00) for reaching the final four here and taking home 181,000 in Wimbledon prize money.
Raducanu said it was a remarkable ascent, and she didn't expect it. In fact, her return flight to home was scheduled for after qualifying rounds. However, she admitted that having to reschedule it is a "nice problem to have."
Raducanu, however, was totally relaxed about the situation and raised her eyebrows to tell them that it wasn't a problem if they missed practice because she was caught in bad traffic due to Hurricane Ida.
She said, "I don’t stress about many things." "I trust in myself, and it's all mental at end of day."
Raducanu is a ruthless judge, but she says that she had a bad attitude growing up and was resolutely against any kind of negative behavior.
She said, "I believe that the calmness as well as the mental strength comes from my upbringing." "I believe my parents instilled in me a positive attitude on the court from a young age.
"Out there on court today, I thought to myself, "This could be your last Ashe match, so maybe it's best to just enjoy everything."
As she "not going to alter absolutely anything" at this stage, the teenager will be wearing her favorite red outfit again. She will take on Maria Sakkari, a 17-year-old Greek girl, on Thursday (02:00 BST – Friday, 10 September) - live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Raducanu entered the tie as the underdog. However, no one will be writing off Raducanu, and she will not be placing any additional pressure on herself.
She said, "Comparing yourself and your results with anyone is likely like the thief to happiness."
"It was 18 months that I did not compete, but I'm here now, and it just proves that anything is possible if you believe in your abilities."
