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SCREEN CAPTURE Emma Raducanu is one of the teenage stars emerging from the US Open. |
Chinese Brit Emma Raducanu couldn't stop smiling after beating Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic, 6-3, 6-4, at the US Open.
Eighteen-year old Raducanu from Great Britain was calm and in control against the 11th seeded Bencic of Switzerland.
Raducanu, whose father is Romanian and mother is Chinese Canadian, graduated from high school last Spring before turning pro.
Her victory puts in in the semi-finals where she will battle 17 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece today at 5:15 p.m. PDT. (check local listings for exact times.)
With her victory, Raducanu became the youngest player to reach the semi-finals since Maria Sharapova in 2005. Ironically, that designation belonged briefly to a possible future opponent, Leylah Fernandez, who celebrated her 19th birthday Monday.
If Raducanu gets past Sakkari, there is an outside possibility that she would meet the tourney's other surprising teenager and fan favorite, Filipino Canadian Fernandez.
First Fernandez must win against No. 2-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who might be her toughest opponent yet. She has already beaten No. 3 Naomi Osaka, No. 16 Angelique Kerber and No. 5 Elina Svitolina.
The unlikeliest of tennis matches of the two teens would mark the first time two players of Asian descent play for the US Open title. Fernandez plays today at 4 p.m. PDT. (Check local listings for exact times.)
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