Emma Raducanu: British teen through to US Open semi-finals after beating Belinda Bencic in straight sets
Raducanu, who is ranked 150, became the first qualifier in US Open history to reach the last four and the youngest ever British player to reach this stage of the competition.
Thursday 9 September 2021 09:40, UK
British teen Emma Raducanu is through to the US Open tennis semi-finals after beating Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in straight sets.
The 18-year-old British tennis player beat world number 12 and Olympic gold medallist Bencic 6-3, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows.
Raducanu, who is ranked 150, became the first qualifier in US Open history to reach the last four and the youngest ever British player to reach this stage of the competition in the Open era.
Today's match was also the first time the teenager has faced a top-30 opponent.
She broke 11th seed Bencic once in the first set and twice in the second and made few unforced errors.
After the match, Raducanu said on Amazon Prime: "I am so happy to come through and thank you so much for all your support today."
The teenager called Bencic "a great opponent", adding that, "it was a really tough match".
"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!"
Raducanu won the opening set 6-3 after making a tentative start, losing her opening service game and falling 2-0 behind.
However, she held her nerve and broke back in the sixth game to draw level at 3-3.
A superb forehand winner gave her another break point in the eighth game, which she clinched with the help of a net-cord in the next rally.
In the second set, Raducanu sealed her second break of the match as Bencic buckled with a double fault.
The final game saw the Brit double-fault to trail 0-30 but she then won the next two points and delivered an ace to give her match point.
Raducanu secured her place in the quarter-final after beating American Shelby Rogers in straight sets on Monday, winning their fourth round clash 6-2 6-1.
She headed into the match having dropped only 15 games in four main-draw matches.
The Kent teenager won legions of fans for her performance at this year's Wimbledon where, as a wildcard entry ranked 361st, she defied expectations to make it to round four.
Although her winning streak ended in unfortunate circumstances when she struggled with breathing problems and had to retire.
Raducanu is the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 1990 to reach at least the fourth round of her first two grand slam tournaments.
She was born in Toronto in 2002 to a Chinese mother and Romanian father and the family moved to England when she was two.