Emma Raducanu "proud" to have broken into the top 20, says she will continue "striving to develop"
Emma Raducanu's near-flawless run at the 2021 US Open not only catapulted her to global stardom, but also helped her make a huge jump up the WTA rankings.
Raducanu famously became the first qualifier to take home a Grand Slam trophy after defeating fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in the final at New York. In the process, she rose from a lowly No. 150 all the way up to No. 23 in the singles standings.
The Brit follwed that up with a run to the quarterfinals at the inaugural edition of the Transylvania Open and second-round showings at Indian Wells and the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open. As a result, she has broken into the top 20 of the rankings; Raducanu will end her season at a career high of No. 19.
The 19-year-old took to social media on Friday to share her excitement at making the top 20. Raducanu shared a screenshot of her profile from the WTA's official website, writing that she was "proud" of her latest achievement.
The Brit added that she would continue "striving to develop", before thanking her team for their support throughout her breakthrough season.
"Proud and happy to have broken top 20 this year end, " Emma Raducanu wrote in her Instagram story. "Will continue striving to develop. Thanks team and let's gooo!
Emma Raducanu and Ana Konjuh made jumps of 300-plus spots in 2021 to finish inside the top 100
Emma Raducanu started her 2021 season ranked well outside the top 300 in the world rankings. Needless to say, she has ended the year with one of the biggest jumps up the rankings ladder ever seen in tennis.
The Brit had reached the fourth round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships on her Grand Slam debut. That, coupled with her US Open win, helped Raducanu jump a total of 324 places over the course of the season; she went from No. 343 to No. 19.
The only player to have made a bigger jump than Emma Raducanu in the standings is Croatia's Ana Konjuh. The talented youngster, who has struggled with multiple injuries in her young career, was on a comeback trail through most of the season.
Konjuh is a former top 25 player, and this year she climbed an impressive 472 spots to go from No. 538 to No. 66.
Other big winners in the 2021 rankings include Beatriz Haddad Maia, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Maria Camila Ossario Serrano, Anhelina Kalinina and Clara Tauson.