Emma Raducanu says she expected to be knocked out of US Open WEEKS ago

Britain’s teenage tennis sensation Emma Raducanu has revealed she expected to be knocked out of the US Open weeks ago and had booked her flights home before trouncing an Olympic gold medallist and storming into the semi-finals. 

The expectation for the 18-year-old from Kent was to fly back once the preliminary event was over – but now she is into the last four after knocking out Swiss player Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows, arguably the biggest stage in tennis.

‘I didn’t expect to be here – my flights were booked at the end of qualifying, so it’s a nice problem to have,’ she said. 

Raducanu is closing in on one of the most astonishing triumphs ever in tennis, less than four months after taking her A-levels. She plays again late on Thursday night. It all comes despite the long break she took from ranking tournaments, due to a combination of Covid and her exams.

‘I didn’t compete for 18 months, but here I am, and it just shows that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible,’ Britain’s tennis golden girl said. ‘I have a hunger to win every single match I play, so I don’t want to get ahead of myself at all. 

‘When you’re playing tournaments, you just get into this sort of autopilot mode of your routines, recovering on the day off in between. Out there on the court today, I was saying to myself, ‘This could be the last time I play on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, so I might as well just go for it and enjoy everything’.’ 

Raducanu said that she had only been in limited contact with her parents Ian and Renee, who are unable to travel to the US due to travel restrictions. ‘It’s not possible, because you need a waiver and it takes a couple weeks for approval,’ she explained. 

‘It’s too late, and they won’t be able to get one.’

However, she credited them with the remarkable composure that was again on show on Wednesday night.

‘I think that the calmness and the mental strength definitely comes from my upbringing,’ she said. ‘My parents have both instilled in me from a very young age to have a positive attitude on court.

‘When I was younger, it was definitely an absolute no-go if I had any sort of bad attitude. So from a young age, I learnt that and it’s followed me.’ 

Two more victories would see her emulate Sir Andy Murray’s title run here from 2012. She cited him as one of her role models, saying: ‘Andy has quite often spoken to me, and I actually hit with him two times, which was really good for me to see his ball speed and how good he is.’

Raducanu fell behind in the first set and admitted that she had to come to terms, initially, with the highest-ranked player she had ever played.

‘It took me some adjusting at the beginning to get used to her ball speed and how aggressive she was. Once I adjusted, and didn’t over-press too much, I settled in.’

The teenage tennis sensation swept into the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows with an impressive victory over Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

Her fairytale run means she is the first British woman into the last four in New York since Jo Durie in 1983.

The straight sets win over the 11th seed ensures the biggest pay-day of her career, guaranteeing her at least £490,000 in prize money. 

It also means she will become Britain’s No 1 and be just outside the world’s top 50.

The 18-year-old, from Bromley, south-east London, will aim to go one better in her semi-final tonight, a match due on court at midnight against either Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova – this year’s losing finalist at Wimbledon – or Greek 17th seed Maria Sakkari.

Emma was an unknown ranked 338 in the world when she entered Wimbledon in June, straight after completing her A-levels. 

She captivated the nation with a run to the fourth round before being forced to quit through illness. 

She now has her eyes on emulating the great Virginia Wade, the last British woman to win the US Open – in 1968, nine years before she won Wimbledon.

Miss Wade predicted that Emma is ‘in that handful who will be dominating tennis’ in the coming years.

Having fought through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw of the US Open, Emma marked her victory against Miss Bencic, 24, by clasping her head with her hands in a mixture of shock and celebration. 

A smile broke out as her achievement sank in.

As the crowd clapped and cheered, she told them: ‘I am so happy to come through and thank you so much for all your support today. 

‘To have so many young players here doing so well shows how strong the next generation is – everyone is on their trajectory, so I am just here doing what I can control and it is my own journey.’

During a tense final game, she had looked over at former player Tim Henman in the stands, who shouted: ‘Two more points and you’ll be fine.’

After the game, he said: ‘This was a significant step up in class. She thoroughly deserves to be in the semi-finals.’

Former British player Mark Petchey said: ‘Emma Raducanu is fast becoming the queen of Queens. 

‘In a city that never sleeps, she is putting her name up in lights.’

After the match Emma told Amazon Prime: ‘Of course, playing Belinda, she is such a great opponent and is in great form, she hits the ball so hard, I had to adjust and adapt and it was a really tough match. 

‘I am so happy to come through and thank you so much for all your support today.

‘I have an absolutely amazing team and I have a team back home who could not be here – I am sure they are watching, I hope!

‘Thank you so much everyone, I wish you could be here with me but everything we have been working for has shown here.

‘It was 0-30 in my last couple of service games so to hold was pretty big, it was one point at a time and trying to focus on what I can control – Belinda was going to fight to the end but I am really pleased to come through that.

‘To have so many young players here doing so well shows how strong the next generation is – everyone is on their trajectory, so I am just here doing what I can control and it is my own journey.’

Raducanu made a tentative start, losing her opening service game and falling 2-0 behind, but she held her nerve and broke back in the sixth game to draw level at 3-3.

She then played her best game, on serve, to go in front for the first time at 4-3 and began to find her range and rhythm.

A superb forehand winner gave Raducanu another break point in the eighth game and she clinched it with the help of a net-cord in the next rally.

Bencic, the 11th seed, found herself under increasing pressure as Raducanu closed in on the first set and the Brit held serve to take a one-set lead.

Raducanu spurned a chance for two break points in Bencic’s opening service game in the second set as the Swiss produced a brilliant backhand pass and then took the next two points to hold. 

Bencic then fashioned two break points of her own in her bid to wrestle back the initiative, but Raducanu stubbornly refused to be broken.

The Olympic gold medallist, who had won 13 of her 14 previous matches heading into the last-eight clash, comfortably held to love to edge 2-1 in front.

Raducanu levelled it up after hitting her fourth ace on a crucial point at 30-30 after two forehand winners from Bencic had put her in the ascendancy.

The Brit then cranked it up as a brilliant forehand return gave her two break points and she sealed her second break of the match as Bencic buckled with a double fault.

Bencic was up against a wall and a net-cord took her forehand out as she trailed 40-15 on Raducanu’s serve, to give the teenager a 4-2 lead.

Another double fault from Bencic in her next service game gave Raducanu break point, but the Swiss hit back with three quality winners to hold and trail 4-3.

Raducanu was 30-0 down on her next service game but, with the aid of four straight errors from her opponent, moved 5-3 ahead and edged closer to the finish line.

Bencic produced an ace to hold serve and keep her hopes alive at 5-4, with one more chance to break Raducanu, who served for the match.

Raducanu then double-faulted to trail 0-30, but won the next two points and delivered an ace to give her match point.

Bencic then hit a forehand into the net as Raducanu secured a semi-final clash against either fourth seed Karolina Pliskova or Greece’s Maria Sakkari.

She had been forced to retire during the second set of her Wimbledon clash with Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic due to ‘difficulty breathing’, bringing her fairy-tale run at the grand slam to an abrupt end as her parents and thousands of spectators watched on.

Raducanu was taken off court requiring medical treatment after losing the first set 6-4 to Tomljanovic before retiring 3-0 down.

She appeared to be clutching her stomach during the second set before quitting the tournament to the shock of her fans inside and outside No1 Court. 

Raducanu had become the nation’s last hope of success at Wimbledon after British superstar Sir Andy Murray crashed out of the grand slam.

US tennis legend John McEnroe suggested ‘it got a bit too much’ for Raducanu after he told presenter Clare Balding that she buckled under the pressure and got ’emotional’.  

McEnroe said: ‘I feel bad for Emma, I mean obviously it got – it appears it got a bit too much, as is understandable, particularly what we’ve been talking about for the last six weeks. How much can players handle? It makes you look at the guys that have been around and the girls for so long, how well they can handle it. 

‘These guys that can keep their composure and the girls out there are absolutely amazing – so we have to appreciate the players that are able to do it so well and hopefully she will learn from this experience.’ 

Despite only making her first WTA Tour main draw appearance in June at the Nottingham Open, Raducanu has had previous success in youth competitions. 

During lockdown, she could be seen knocking tennis balls back and forth to her dad in the quiet cul-de-sac where the family live.

On her Instagram page, the rising star references her global roots listing London, where she lives now, Toronto, and the two cities where her parents are from – Bucharest in Romania and Shenyang in China.

Her dual heritage remains important to her and she’s spoken fondly of relatives across the globe, saying: ‘My grandma, Mamiya, still lives in central Bucharest. I go back a couple times a year, stay with her, see her. It’s really nice. I love the food, to be honest.

‘I mean, the food is unbelievable. And my grandma’s cooking is also something special. I do have ties to Bucharest.’   

‘I was the very shy odd-one-out’ reveals tennis sensation Emma Raducanu as she appears in Vogue – but says playing sport has ‘given her inner strength’

Emma Raducanu has revealed how she was ‘very shy’ and the ‘odd-one-out’ growing up as she appears in next month’s issue of Vogue.

The tennis sensation, 18, from London, donned a strapless black gown and a pair of leopard print trainers in snaps shared in the October issue of the fashion bible.

Speaking to the magazine, Emma said she was often the ‘only girl’ in her friendship group doing certain sports, adding: ‘I was a very shy little girl who didn’t talk much at all. 

‘And through playing sport, and having to be bold on the court and fearless and fight, it’s given me inner strength. If you have that, then you can really achieve whatever you want.’

Born in Canada to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, Emma moved to Britain at the age of two and grew up in London.

She credited her mother for helping her build her confidence, which she said comes from ‘inner belief’.

She explained: ‘My mum comes from a Chinese background, they have very good self-belief. 

‘It’s not necessarily about telling everyone how good you are, but it’s about believing it within yourself. I really respect that about the culture.’

She first picked up a racquet aged five and played at Bromley Tennis Academy from the age of 10.

She told Vogue that being the ‘odd one out’ was something Raducanu, at first, had to grow used to, but then took pleasure from. 

She said: ‘When I was younger, I was the only girl in my group karting or doing motocross, and I thought it was pretty cool. 

‘For example, one time, my motocross teacher was like, right, we’re going to do press-ups. I was the only one who could do it, so I was proud of myself for that.’ 

Meanwhile she revealed how she respected Naomi Osaka’s decision to opt out of press conferences and the French Open.

She said: ‘If that’s the best thing for her health, mental health and wellbeing then I think that that’s the right thing to do, because at the end of the day, you’re on this journey alone, no matter how many people are in your corner.’

The teenager also spoke about retiring from Wimbledon after she struggled to breathe during a match against Ajla Tomljanovic.

She said fellow athlete Marcus Rashford reached out to her on Twitter after the match, saying: ‘[It was] very comforting in that moment. 

‘I was feeling like I let people down, so for him to reassure me like that – I was extremely grateful.’ 

It comes after she sailed through to the quarter finals of the US Open after defeating Shelby Rogers yesterday – who had beaten world number one Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in the third round – in a match 6-2, 6-1.

According to a branding expert, there is ‘little doubt’ the 18-year-old from Bromley, south-east London will be a millionaire by the end of this year, with brands likely to be clambering over themselves to sign her up following her second Grand Slam appearance.

Emma has now won seven matches in a row at the US Open – enough to have won the tournament had she not had to go through qualifying – and is yet to drop a single set. 

Emma’s stellar performances in New York and at Wimbledon, where she became the youngest British woman to reach the fourth round of the singles competition since 1959 after being handed a wildcard entry, have earned her close to £500,000 and saw her go from 366th in the world rankings to the top 80. 

During lockdown, she could be seen knocking tennis balls back and forth to her dad in the quiet cul-de-sac where the family live.  

Emma attended Newstead School in Orpington, Kent where she was described as a ‘model pupil’ by her teachers at the selective girls’ grammar school. She achieved three 9s and four 8s in her GCSEs. 

On her Instagram page, the rising star references her global roots listing London, where she lives now, Toronto, where she was born and the two cities where her parents are from Bucharest in Romania and Shenyang in China.    

See the full feature in the October issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands Friday 10th September. 

‘What a performance… what a future’: Social media erupts as British teenage sensation Emma Raducanu reaches US Open semi-finals after another stunning victory 

Social media erupted with praise for Britain’s new tennis star Emma Raducanu after she marched her way to the semi-finals of the US Open.

After a stunning victory over Shelby Rogers in the last round, she was given another tough test in Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic.

Yet it was another hurdle she overcame as she clawed her way back from 3-1 down against the Swiss player, ranked 11th in the world, to win decisively 6-3, 6-4.  

Ranked 150th in the world, Raducanu follows tennis legend Billie Jean King and 2009 champion Kim Clijsters as the only women outside the top 100 of the rankings to reach the US Open semi-finals. 

BBC presenter Gary Lineker tweeted: ‘What a performance. What a triumph. What a future. 18-year-old @emmaraducanu is through to the semi-finals of the US Open. Stunning. Well played.’

Fellow presenter Clare Balding wrote: ‘Wow wow wow. Emma Raducanu what a star you are. I watched with my lovely neighbours and have shouted myself hoarse.’

British tennis player Katie Boulter made it no secret who she wanted to see in the final tweeting: ‘Anyone else love to see a Raducanu vs (Leyla) Fernandez final.’

Laura Robson commented: ‘Ridiculously impressive performance (again!). Massive well done to Emma and her team.’

Noel Gallagher also offered his support tweeting: ‘Congratulations to Emma Raducanu c’mon.’

Retired tennis star Greg Rusedski praised her performance and cancelling out Bencic’s threat as he said: ‘What a performance from @EmmaRaducanu to become the 1st qualifier to make the @usopen semifinals. 

‘She broke down the Bencic forehand and has a real chance to win her 1st major. Wow! The journey continues tomorrow.’

While Piers Morgan described her as ‘the real deal’ as he wrote: ‘She’s on fire again… destroying another far higher ranked player in the US Open…@EmmaRaducanu⁩ is the real deal – a tennis superstar in the making. So exciting to watch.

Raducanu is now left awaiting the winner of Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova, the fourth seed, and number 17 seed Maria Sakkari, on Thursday night.

The win takes her to the brink of the world’s top 50 and will make her officially the British No 1, having started Wimbledon ranked 338.