Tennis is one of those sports where players who are more or less unknown outside of their industry can cause hug shocks in big competitions, and in 2021, Emma Raducanu was at the heart of one of them.
A Canadian born player who grew up in Britain, she was a straight A student who could seemingly have gone on to do anything, but despite her parents both being academics, it was sports that most interested Emma.
She only turned professional in 2018, yet due to her age was still competing in junior competitions until 2019, and due to the covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns she remained largely under the radar in the lead up to the 2021 US Open.
Due to this, it was possible to be on Raducanu at as much as 499/1 before the first match had been played, and one savvy punter did, although they only made a £3.74 bet. Still, they bagged £1,870 for their trouble.
Obviously, her odds shortened as the days went on, but there were a handful of other early bets on the teenager, although all were relatively small; the biggest known bet on her was £20 and 200/1, bringing in a handsome return of just over £4,000.
What’s more, in the aftermath of her big upset, over 70% of bets placed on Wimbledon the following year were on Raducanu.
How the Tournament Was Won
Despite starting the competition as an 18 year old without even an official WTA ranking, Raducanu would decimate every player she faced on her journey to winning the US Open, with consistently aggressive play.
It started with Stefanie Voegele, who she defeated 6-2, 6-3, and starting a trend which would carry on for the whole competition – Emma Raducanu didn’t drop a single set.
Shuai Zhang was next up, and although she tried to get a foothold by varying the pace and angles of her shots, Raducanu adapted to the more experienced player’s game and patiently waited for opportunities before exploitnig them. The match ended 6-2, 6-4.
Sara Sorribes Tormo arguably suffered the biggest trouncing with Raducanu taking the match 6-0, 6-1 – poor old Sara only managed to win a single game in the whole match.
Shelby Rogers, a home favourite, only managed to do a little better with the match ending 6-2, 6-1, although Belinda Bencic pushed her harder in the quarter finals, Raducanu still controlled most of the rallies, with the match eventually finishing 6-3, 6-4.
In the semi finals, Maria Sakkari, known for the solid base line play, attempted to match Raducanu’s aggression, but the youngster was un-phased, dispatching Sakkari 6-1, 64 – although it certainly wasn’t a breeze.
In the final of the tournament, Raducanu was up against fellow teenager and Canadian, Leylah Fernandez. It was a remarkable game since both women were underdogs at the start, and both had fought their way past huge odds to get the the final game.
Fernandez was a tough opponent, excellent defensively and displaying a lot of variety in her tactics and shot making, but Raducanu’s court coverage enabled her to turn Fernandez’s attacks into counter attacks, and eventually she was ground down, with the match ending 6-4, 6-3.
Emma Raducanu was the first qualifier in history, male or female, to win a Grand Slam single title.