Leylah and Emma (OT)

[UPDATE: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain won the United States Open Tennis Championship Women's Singles, 6-4, 6-3. If you are ten years old and live to be 110, you will never see this again—a qualifier ranked 150th in the world winning a major championship without dropping a set. It's the very first time and highly likely to be the last time it will ever happen.

Wonder what it's like in Old Blighty tonight?]

Malcolm Myers answers: "We have all gone Emma crazy in Blighty. It's been decades since we've had a female tennis player who was even in contention, so for Emma to storm through the way she has—breaking every record on the way—is quite astounding. We all got to watch it free-to-air and it was a really competitive match. I think Leylah Fernandez played extremely well. As one commenter here said, shame that only one of them could win. However, Fernandez will no doubt have her day, probably may times, over the next decade. Brilliant stuff."

I've been following the U.S. Open closely, or as closely as I can given that I don't own a TV. It's been a fascinating and wonderful tournament so far, really fun to follow.

The big news, apart from the fact that Novak Djokovic of Serbia is still in contention for the first true Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969, is that two previously little-known, unseeded teenagers (one a qualifier, no less) are in the final of the Women's draw for the first time in more than two decades—since a young Serena Williams of the USA, age 17, defeated Martina Hingis of Switzerland, who was 18 at the time, in the 1999 final.

The two are Leylah Fernandez of Canada and Emma Raducanu of the UK. Emma is 18 and Leylah just turned 19 a few days ago, in the midst of the tournament. Leylah is ranked 73rd in the world, and Emma, ranked 150th, is the one who had to come through the qualifying tournament. Since rankings were initiated in 1975, only five women outside the top 50 have ever reached the U.S. Open final. Both young women will make meteoric rises in the world rankings following the tournament, Raducanu especially. Both will probably emerge as the No. 1 ranked female players in their respective countries.

Photo courtesy of Sirobi Tennis Photos

Leylah Fernandez of Canada at this year's French Open

Leylah has been a true giant-killer, beating a succession of formidable opponents to make it to the final. These include defending champion Naomi Osaka of Japan, the first Asian woman ever to hold the World No. 1 ranking; three-time major champion and former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber of Germany; No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine; and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, a seasoned and particularly powerful player. Fernandez is the youngest woman since Serena Williams in 1999 to beat three Top 5 players on her way to the final, and only the fourth Canadian, male or female, ever to appear in the final of a major.

Photo courtesy of Sirobi Tennis Photos

Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom in 2018

Emma, meanwhile, playing dazzling tennis, has steamrolled her way through the draw without dropping a single set—and that includes her three qualifying matches. She is the first qualifier ever to reach the U.S. Open finals, and the first British woman to reach the finals of any major since Virginia Wade—who is in attendance at this year's tournament—in 1977.

Leylah's mother, Irene, was born in Canada of Filipino parents, and although her father Jorge's family moved to Canada from Ecuador when Jorge was four, he later played professional football (soccer) for Ecuador. He is his daughter Leylah's coach, and, more's the pity, he's not at this tournament (think about it. They never know how far she'll advance. How was he to know this would happen? Nobody else in the world did). Emma's mother Renee is Chinese and her father Ian is Romanian—both are financial executives. Although she lives in London and plays as a UK citizen, Emma too was born in Canada.

It probably doesn't hurt their exploding global popularity that both of the teenage finalists are beautiful, charming, and well spoken, with dazzling smiles. In interviews they come off as typical giggling teenage girls, bright and happy. These off-court outward attitudes contrast sharply with the unyielding killer instinct and no-nonsense confidence each of them shows during matches, when they have seemed as composed and mature as players in the primes of their careers.

Spectacular and rare
It's such a pity to me that my brother Scott isn't here to see this. He would have been loving it. He was a fan of women's tennis no less than the men's—he thought the women's game was a subtly more relatable form of the art of tennis because brute force and strength don't play quite so much a part. This year's finals could possibly be the sensational first flowering of a new rivalry in women's tennis, but, even if it isn't, it's a rare and spectacular occurrence all on its own. Too bad I can't watch it! I hope I'll get to see the whole match someday. My prediction: Raducanu in three, and I'll say one set will go to a tiebreaker. As they say in tennis, sometimes it's a pity there has to be a loser.

If my prediction comes true, it would be the first major tennis tournament ever won by a qualifier. If you're able to, you might want to try to catch it even if you're not normally a fan. It's only the eighth time two teenagers have contended in the finals of a major. As Emma Raducanu herself said, "we’re both playing good tennis so it will be a good match." The women's finals commence at 4:20 p.m. Eastern U.S. Time tomorrow, Saturday, September 11th.

If you do get to watch, enjoy it for me!

Mike

[CORRECTION: I deal with dozens of names every day, and try hard not to make mistakes, but the original version of this post spelled Leylah Fernandez's name wrong. All eight times it appears. That is a bad one. Sorry for the error. —Ed.]

Book o' the Week:

The second edition of old friend Bruce Barnbaum's The Essence of Photography is just out. Bruce wrote for Photo Techniques when I was Editor. I always enjoy his insights into the art and craft, even if his technique isn't the same as mine. I still learn. Mastery is fun to read about.

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's the new edition of The Essence of Photography at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

robert e: "I agree with Scott. I find that nuances seem to both matter more and are easier to discern in the women's game. There are dimensions of tennis that don't really come across on TV, while other aspects are easier to see, and this may have something to do with the difference as well. Relatedly, there's more stylistic variety in women's tennis at the moment, which makes for more intriguing matchups.

"It's been an Open full of surprises and an extraordinarily high level of tennis. Notably, the fans packing the main stadium seem more than ready to make their presence and preferences known, and they've found in these two teens willing and charismatic partners. That's yet another precocious quality these teens share—they seem very much at ease engaging with large and enthusiastic crowds, especially at critical moments. They're also surprising everyone with their tactical smarts.

"At least in my area, the free trial of YouTubeTV includes ESPN, which carries the U.S. Open. Possibly goes for other online TV services as well.

"But for some a service isn't even necessary, as increasingly in the US many without TV are able to watch at least some TV thanks to their internet or cell phone provider's relationship to one or another media giant. Might be worth checking USopen.org or ESPN.com and seeing what you can see. I understand that in the UK Amazon Prime is carrying matches."

Lisa S. Gorrell: "Maybe you could hang out at Best Buy or Sears to watch the game."

Mike replies: Actually I got a trial to YouTubeTV like robert e suggested and it works (this time). But your comment reminds me that when I was young I used to stand in the photo section of the bookstore in Georgetown and read whole books of photo criticism! The clerks knew I was a poor photo student and they let me do it. I read all of A.D. Coleman's Light Readings and most of Robert Adams's Beauty in Photography that way, among others.

AndrewH: "Happily Belgium is showing all of the US Open. I am backing Emma and Novak for wins in the finals (sic), one for the huge achievement (Novak) and the other for the sheer charm (Emma). It is so nice to see a happy professional sport player."

Comments

[Andrew Bearman]

You might try one of these methods for watching US Open tennis online:

https://cybernews.com/stream-online/how-to-watch-us-open-tennis/

[Malcolm Myers]

We don't have a great history of tennis players in the UK, although Sir Andy Murray has been pretty good. Emma's progress is big news over here, so I'm hoping she'll win. However, her opponent is equally as impressive. I'm sure that this will not be the last time they meet in a final over the next decade or more. Well done to both of them. Sadly it's not on free-to-air TV in the UK.

[Don Craig]

To be clear, Hingis was first seed in 1999, and Williams was 7th seed. They were indeed teenagers.

cheers,
Don Craig

[Dillan]

Go Laylah!

(I am Canadian!)

[Kurt Kramer]

I watched the two matches last night, and these two young women seemed fearless and oh so talented. And they are both articulate and charming off the court. I am happy they are facing each other in tomorrow's final.
I have an only slightly related question: Why do so many people say "finals"? There are four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, but only ONE FINAL. Emma and Laylah are playing in the U.S. Open Final tomorrow.

[Peter’ Wright]

As a citizen of both Britain and Canada, I will be happy as long as one or the other of them wins. 😊

[toto]

This was the final I was hoping for! Emma is on a date with destiny to win ten straight matches in straight sets. Laylah of course has other intentions and will try to derail it. Hope it will be a great match.

[David Lee]

I like women’s tennis better than Men’s. I like their speed, It looks much more elegant to me. Time zone difference makes it difficult for me to watch live, but I like them both.

[Luke]

Come on over and we'll fire up the big screen.
It's finally cooled off a little in ATL.

[John Krumm]

I was watching a recording of this match on the iPad last night and my wife got caught up and could not put it down (even though I had spoiled the ending). I finally fell asleep as she finished the match. I will try to watch the final live today.

[Tom Bell]

Just so sad one of these brilliant, talented & charming young people has to loose.
Let’s hope either way it is a thriller

NTE now free to air in UK On Channel 4

[Carlo Santin]

It has been a wonderful US Open this year and the absence of Federer, Rafa and Williams has been a blessing in disguise. The women's game especially has a great future. If you aren't familiar with Laylah Fernandez you are in for a treat. She is every bit as charming as Emma. They both play a very similar game as well. Unfortunately one of them has to lose today. There is some great young talent on the men's side as well so the future of tennis looks very bright.

[Stephen Scharf]

Watched both of these charming women and superlative players progress through since the beginning of the tournament. They've been an absolute sensation. What's striking is not only how mature and skilled they are in their abilities as players, but their maturity, poise, and composure as well.

After the bad taste left by Djokovic in his disgraceful behavior at the Olympics, both have been absolutely delightful to watch, and by contrast, a breath of fresh air.

[Tom Burke]

We were able to watch it live yesterday evening (in the UK) - Channel 4, a state-owned TV channel, were able to buy rights to show the match, live, from Amazon (who had the exclusive live rights for the UK). Given the expected viewing figures, Channel 4 will have done well, even free-to-air. (The BBC had previously bought rights to show the match Sunday afternoon; not sure how many people will watch that now.)

Watching it, I was struck by several things. First was the extraordinary athleticism of both players - you don’t reach that level of performance in just a few months, or even just a few years. I don’t know enough about tennis to comment authoritively on the quality of play, but I did think that the score (6-4, 6-3) did not truly reflect what struck me as a very close match - it turned, IIRC, on just a few moments of extraordinarily play.

Second was the poise and composure of both players. To be able to handle that situation, win or lose, as teenagers!

And third was the thought that these two young women are members of the very first post-9/11 generation; they were born and have grown up in a world where 9/11 had already happened. They must have been among the very few in the Arthur Ashe stadium yesterday who had no memory of the events of that day 20 years before.

[Kye Wood]

Deftness of touch. The same reason why I preferred to watch the game of squash being played by women.

[Tom Bell]

Happy for Emma …. WOW!
Sorry Layla had to loose but my oh my what a match they gave us … and with such grace …whether winning or loosing ….
I am so excited about these two brightening our lives for years to come

[robert e]

Leyla won the crowd and Emma won the trophy (while not losing the crowd, really). Very happy for them both, and for tennis, and for having been able to follow this story. Andy Roddick is right to call the pair a gift to the game. I think Leyla was just a bit drained from a string of dramatic matches in the big stadium, or she might have made it a closer contest. Good on Amazon UK for releasing the rights for public broadcast.

Among Raducanu's improbable feats, if my info is correct: the shortest time between pro tour debut to winning a slam, in a very long time, if not ever (roughly three months, I believe).

By the way, today's women's doubles final is an intriguing battle between two teenagers (Gauff and MacNally) and two women in their 30s (Stosur and Zhang). The teens are favored to win. Unlike Raducanu, they've been playing the pro tour for years and are the slightly higher ranked team.

Glad YoutubeTV worked for someone. It's one of the pricier services, but has a killer feature with its unlimited recording space--good for people like me who can waste entire evenings looking for something to watch.

Another perk, not exclusive to YoutubeTV, is that the login credentials also unlock content on channel web sites like ESPN.com, such as previous matches from this year's Open.

[Paul in AZ]

I used to be an avid player of tennis and later squash, and a casual fan. When grunting and screaming with each stroke became the norm I quit listening and most watching.

This final was not only a delightful match but was notable for the absence of the orgasmic screaming now the norm in the pro game.

Maybe there is hope that those talented youngsters will ignite a new [silent, non-screaming] style of play.

[Mark]

Uh, last time I checked, TV prices had come down to where even you, Mike, can afford one. You are not a Luddite, Mike. And I doubt many place you on a pedestal because you don’t have a tv.

Oh, and time for another update. Novak folded like a cheap suit, and Medvedev played like a champion. Good for him. Novak, after accidentally hitting an official and being disqualified, has apparently learned nothing as he smashed his racquet. There should be point penalties for that.

[V.I. Voltz]

Djokovic got beaten by Medvedev, so the GOAT is definitely, absolutely Dylan Allcott, who completed a single season Golden Slam (all grand slams and an olympic gold medal) yesterday.

Voltz

[magma]

Here in Spain we are happy to see:
1.- Rafa Nadal is still on top with Grand Slams winnings

2.- The world has discovered Carlos Alcaraz as a Young great player, after reaching quarters

3.- Spaniards have discovered Daniel Rincón, who has won the Junior Tournament.

[Timothy Auger]

I heard Emma answering a question in fluent Chinese. While it's not that surprising considering her background, it was wonderful to hear Chinese (presumably Mandarin?) as well as authentic South London coming out of the same person. She will be a formidable international ambassador for the game, as long as she is not overwhelmed by all the the publicity and adulation, and the pressure that comes with all of that.

[Eric Rose]

It was a Canada vs Canada final. The eventual winner was born in Canada.

[Not sure you've got first dibs there bro--we'll give you Neil Young, though even Canadians will have to admit he's pretty Californian, but Emma? You'll have to stand in line behind Romania, China, and especially Great Britain. The Chinese even think she's a "Dongbei girl," quote-unquote, because they recognize her accent when she speaks Chinese. The convention in sports, tennis as well as the Olympics, is that athletes get to declare what country they're representing. It's part of the wonderfulness of her story that she's so multinational and multiracial, but the bottom line is that if she says she's playing as a Briton, then she's a Briton. :-) --Mike, who, please note, has no dog in this fight]

[Rick]

As others have already said, a top quality game and much closer than the scoreline suggested. I felt both competitors still have room for improvement in areas such as tactics and footwork - not a criticism, just an observation, as I'd expect that given their youth and it suggests they will be around for a long time to come as they gain experience to match their skills and athleticism.

I was less impressed by Leylah's whingeing during Emma's medical timeout when she herself had gone for a tactical "bathroom break" at the end of the first set (which wasn't even a changeover) - something really needs to be done about this cynical practice - and that blood was literally trickling down Emma's leg.

Re women's sport I find women's golf is also great to watch. We weekend hackers can relate to their game far more than the men's, as lacking the strength to just monster it round the course and smash it out of the rough they play a game much more like ours*, great technique, keeping it on the fairways. *well not mine obviously :-D

[Dennis Ng]

Great match but I do not think it is close. There is a reason why Emma got it.

Still, one wonder if Emma has to face the other top seeds. She only have faced one seed 4 so far. L clear the forks for her.