Tennis
Who is US Open women’s singles champion Emma Raducanu?
Factbox on Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the US Open final on Saturday (Sept 11) to win her first Grand Slam title:
Age: 18
Nation: Britain
WTA ranking: 150
Seeding: Unseeded
Grand Slam titles: 1 (U.S. Open 2021)
Road To Final
First round: beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-2 6-3
Second round: beat Shuai Zhang (China) 6-2 6-4
Third round: beat Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain) 6-0 6-1
Fourth round: beat Shelby Rogers (US) 6-2 6-1
Quarter-finals: beat 11-Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 6-3 6-4
Semi-finals: beat 17-Maria Sakkari (Greece) 6-1 6-4
Early life
Born to a Romanian father and Chinese mother in Toronto, Canada, Raducanu moved to London aged two and started playing tennis aged five.
Career to date
– Turned professional in 2018, reaching the top 20 at the junior level.
– Won three International Tennis Federation titles.
– Made her WTA tournament debut at the grass court event in Nottingham in June 2021.
– Came to prominence when she made her Grand Slam main draw debut at Wimbledon in July 2021. After entering the tournament as a wildcard ranked 338th in the world, she progressed to the fourth round where she retired against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic after suffering breathing difficulties.
– Reached final of the WTA 125K event in Chicago in August 2021.
– Qualified for the 2021 US Open main draw after posting straight set wins in all three qualifying rounds.
– Ranked 150th in the world, she became first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. She won the US Open title without dropping a set – either in qualifying or in her seven main draw matches.
– Became the first British woman to win the US Open since Virginia Wade triumphed in 1968 and the first to capture a Grand Slam title since Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
– Projected to move up to 24th in the world rankings on Monday after winning the US Open, ending Johanna Konta’s 310-week reign as the top ranked British woman
-Reuters
Tennis
Osaka parts way with her coach
Naomi Osaka has parted ways with coach Wim Fissette after four years together across two stints, the 26-year-old announced late on Friday.
The former world number one won two of her four Grand Slam titles under the guidance of the Belgian, but is currently 75th in the rankings having returned to the tour nine months ago after a lengthy maternity break.
“Four years, two slams and a whole lot of memories,” Osaka wrote in an Instagram post.
“Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best.”
Of the 16 tournaments Osaka has played this season, she has made the quarter-finals in only two – Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch – and the Japanese player has also failed to go past the second round in each of the four Grand Slams
-Reuters
Tennis
Five US women in top 15 in the world for first time in two decades
Five players from the United States are ranked in the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 15 for the first time in two decades, the USTA said on Monday.
World number two Coco Gauff led the American charge followed by sixth-ranked Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins, who climbed two spots to ninth on the list amid a remarkable farewell season.
Madison Keys was ranked 14th while Emma Navarro hopped two spots to a career-high 15th after reaching her first major quarter-final at Wimbledon.
The last time five American women featured in the top 15 was May 24, 2004, when Lindsay Davenport was fourth in the world
-Reuters
Tennis
Venus Williams among sporting figures to get own Barbie doll
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and Australian soccer player Mary Fowler are among nine athletes to get a Barbie doll in their likeness as toy maker Mattel seeks to shine a light on women sports role models ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Mattel unveiled the dolls on Wednesday, each with their bespoke accessories. Fowler’s wears gloves and holds a football while Williams’ doll, dressed in an all white tennis dress and visor as well as wearing earrings, comes with a miniature racket.
The former world number one said she hoped to motivate young girls into sports with the doll.
“I literally can’t imagine my life without sports and without the game,” Williams said in a video, in which she held the doll.
“I want other young girls to have that invaluable experience of playing a sport and what it teaches you and what you learn and what you take from it, not just that moment (but) for the rest of your life… I think it’s so important for girls to be in sports.”
Other sports figures to have a doll in their likeness include French boxer Estelle Mossely, Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda, Spanish doctor and paratriathlon athlete Susana Rodriguez, Italian former swimmer Federica Pellegrini, Canadian soccer player Christine Sinclair as well as Mexican and Brazilian gymnasts, Alexa Moreno and Rebeca Andrade.
The dolls, unveiled as Barbie turns 65 this year, “(recognise) the impact of sport in fostering self-confidence and ambition among the next generation”, Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and Mattel’s Global Head of Dolls, said.
“By shining a light on these inspirational athletes and their stories, we hope to champion the belief that every young girl deserves the opportunity to pursue her passions and turn her dreams into reality,” she said in a statement.
-Reuters
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