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NEWS: Women’s Singles U.S. Open finalists celebrate their Asian descent
Emma Raducanu wins the U.S. Open
When Emma Raducanu won the U.S. Open on September 11, she was hailed as the first British woman to claim a Grand Slam title in 44 years. But because she was born in Toronto to a Chinese mother and Romanian father before moving to a London suburb as a toddler, fans in multiple countries celebrated her as a sports hero and a cultural ambassador.
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In referencing her mother, Raducanu said: “She’s always instilled a lot of discipline and respect for other people into me, so I think that having parents like I do, they always push me, they have high expectations so I’ve always tried to live up to that.”
She also said how it’s a “really such a coincidence” that her two favorite players, whom she models her game after, are former Chinese player Li Na and Romanian’s Simona Halep.
Competitors in the US Open Final exude Asian representation
Emma Raducanu is British Romanian Chinese and Leylah Fernandez is Canadian Ecuadorian Filipino.
Tennis stars Emma Raducanu and Leylah Annie Fernandez competed in the US Open Final on September 11, 2021. Raducanu became the first British woman in 44 years to win a grand slam title, defeating Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 at Flushing Meadows, New York.
“I really want to congratulate Leylah and her team on an incredible fortnight,” said 18-year-old Raducanu during the trophy ceremony. “She played some incredible tennis and beat some of the top players in the world. It was an incredibly difficult match but I thought the level was extremely high.”
Raducanu, who also became the first ever qualifier in the Open era to win a grand slam title, reflected on the dramatic final game after she grazed her left knee while serving for the match and was forced to take a medical timeout when break point down. The grand slam rulebook mandates that players must receive treatment if they are openly bleeding.
After her speech, Fernandez, 19, returned to the microphone with a final word towards the crowd. “I know on this day it’s especially hard for New York and everyone around the United States. I just want to say that I hope I can be as strong and resilient as New York has been the last 20 years,” she said. 18-year-old Raducanu was born in Toronto to her father who came from Bucharest, Romania and her mother who was from Shenyang, China. The family moved to England when Raducanu was 2-years-old. 19-year-old Fernandez was born in Montreal to an Ecuadorian father and Canadian Filipino mother.
