3 talking points from Emma Raducanu's historic US Open triumph
In a final that was already dripping with history, Emma Raducanu pulled off a commanding win over fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez to lift the coveted US Open trophy. With her 6-4, 6-3 triumph, Raducanu became the first qualifier ever to bag a singles Grand Slam title.
Fernandez, two months her opponent's senior, had overcome some of the biggest names in the sport en route to the final - including former champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber. However, she had no answer to Raducanu's confident display in the biggest match of both their careers.
On that note, let us have a look at some of the key talking points from this incredible encounter:
# The serve was a key differentiating factor in the match
Emma Raducanu continued her stellar serving performance from the first six rounds. She got broken just twice in the final and finished the tournament having lost just seven break points in as many main-draw matches.
The Brit was able to bring a lot more first serves into play than her opponent, especially in the second set - where she had an 80% first serve rate.
Raducanu was also very impressive on the return. She took full advantage of Leylah Fernandez's relatively underpowered serve, producing a whopping 18 break points and converting four of them.
Raducanu's sharp angles on the return were a cause of concern for Fernandez throughout, who had to constantly dig out some big strikes.
Apart from her worrying break-point count, Fernandez was also bothered by her dismal success rate of just 56% on the first serve. The Canadian's five untimely double faults didn't help matters either.
#Fatigue found its way into Leylah Fernandez's game
Leylah Fernandez came into this final after having spent 12 hours and 45 minutes on the court, whereas Emma Raducanu had spent just 11 hours and 34 minutes (including qualifying) despite playing three matches more. Moreover, Raducanu hadn't lost a set in her previous nine matches at the 2021 US Open.
On the contrary, Fernandez was pushed to the brink by a series of accomplished veterans, who took her the distance in their respective matches. She entered the final on the back of four consecutive matches lasting over two hours, and that ultimately showed in her relative lack of precision and speed down the home stretch.
# Emma Raducanu has established a string of records and created some incredible history
No qualifier had ever won a singles Grand Slam title before Saturday. Emma Raducanu is the first player ever - male or female - to do so, and she did it in just her second career Grand Slam appearance.
Raducanu is also the first British woman to lift the trophy in New York since Virginia Wade in 1968, the first year of 'Open Era' tennis.
In addition, she is the first Brit to win a Major since Andy Murray's Wimbledon triumph in 2016. Having entered the tournament ranked No. 150 in the world, the Toronto-born is slated to rise to a career-ranking ranking of No. 23 on Monday.
Remarkably, Raducanu has never won a match on the WTA tour; her only match wins have come at Slam level (three at Wimbledon and now seven at the US Open). She is just 18 years old, but she has already etched her name in the history books permanently.