8 astonishing feats achieved by Emma Raducanu with her US Open 2021 win
British teenager Emma Raducanu created history when she defeated Leylah Fernandez in the 2021 US Open final on Saturday. Raducanu became the first player -- male or female -- to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier.
Raducanu defied the odds and dismantled many top players en route to her maiden Major title. What made her triumph all the more impressive was the fact that she navigated her way through qualifying and seven main-draw matches without dropping a single set.
Given her age and lack of experience on the tour, it is not surprising that Raducanu's triumph took the tennis fraternity by complete surprise. The Brit etched her name into multiple pages of the history books, and many of her records are likely to stand the test of time.
On that note, here's a look at some of the most relevant records and milestones achieved by Emma Raducanu with her 2021 US Open win:
#1 Emma Raducanu is the lowest-ranked female player to win a Grand Slam
Emma Raducanu was ranked No. 150 ahead of the 2021 US Open, which is why she had to negotiate the qualifying rounds before making it to the main draw. She will, however, rise to the 31st position when the new rankings are released on Monday.
American Sloane Stephens was previously the lowest-ranked female player to win a Slam when she lifted the 2017 US Open trophy while being ranked No. 83.
No player ranked outside the top 100 had ever won a Slam before Raducanu. It is pertinent to note that Kim Clijsters was unranked when she won the 2009 US Open, which is why she has not been counted in the list.
#2 Emma Raducanu is the first qualifier to win a Slam
Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier - male or female - to win a Slam after she beat Leylah Fernandez in the final of the 2021 US Open.
In fact, the Brit was also the first qualifier to make it to the summit clash of a Slam. Nobody in the men's or women's game had previously gone past the semifinals as a qualifier.
#3 Emma Raducanu is the first British woman to win a Slam in 44 years
Before Raducanu's triumph, Virginia Wade was the last British woman to win a Grand Slam, having triumphed at Wimbledon in 1977.
Even more surprising is the fact that Raducanu was the first British woman to contest a Slam final since Wade won Wimbledon.
#4 Emma Raducanu won her first Grand Slam title in just her second Major appearance
Emma Raducanu made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at this year's Wimbledon, where she progressed to the fourth round. The 2021 US Open was the 18-year-old's second appearance at a Major, and she went all the way.
As such, Raducanu created another Open Era record for the fewest Slam appearances needed to win a maiden Major title. She broke the record previously held by Bianca Andreescu, who won the 2019 US Open in her fourth Slam appearance.
#5 Raducanu is the youngest player since Maria Sharapova to win a Major
Emma Raducanu was 18 years and 302 days old when she struck an ace on match point to seal her 2021 US Open win. In the process, she became the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2004 to win a Major. The Russian was 17 years and 62 days old when she won Wimbledon.
Raducanu is also the eighth youngest player to win her first Major.
#6 Emma Raducanu is the fourth player in the Open Era to win her first WTA title at a Major
Emma Raducanu's US Open title is her first tour-level trophy. Only three other women achieved this feat before the Brit in the Open Era - Barbara Jordan (1979 Australian Open), Jelena Ostapenko (2017 Roland Garros), and Iga Swiatek (2020 Roland Garros).
#7 Emma Raducanu became the 19th woman to win a Slam without dropping a set
Emma Raducanu did not drop a set in any of her seven main-draw matches en route to winning the 2021 US Open. In the process, she became the 19th woman to win a Slam without dropping a set.
The Brit joins an illustrious club that consists of Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Chris O'Neil, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Mary Pierce, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Wiliams, Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli, and Iga Swiatek.
#8 Emma Raducanu became the 4th youngest female player to win a Slam without dropping a set
As mentioned above, Emma Raducanu became the 19th woman to win a Major without dropping a set. But more impressively, she became the fourth youngest player to achieve the feat after Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, and Martina Hingis.
Most of Raducanu's records will likely stand the test of time. The fact that she won a Grand Slam as a qualifier will undoubtedly be the hardest feat to match in the years to come.