As Emma Raducanu served to become the first qualifier ever to reach a grand slam final, she glanced up at Tim Henman, who had been roaring her on from the photographers’ pit throughout her latest history-redefining US Open performance. Beaten by Roger Federer at the same stage in 2004, Henman knows what it is to compete for such rarefied stakes amid the clamour and tumult of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. All night, his message to the 18-year-old had been as simple as it was consistent: stay aggressive, remain in the present, take it one point at a time.
Easy to say, hard to do. But Raducanu did not disappoint. Does she ever? A sliding serve to Maria Sakkari’s less dangerous forehand side drew a short reply, a calm, precise backhand sent the Greek scurrying into the opposite corner, and a measured swing volley completed a 6-1, 6-4 victory. For the first time since Virginia Wade marked Queen Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee with victory at Wimbledon in 1977, a British woman was through to a major final. It has been a long time coming – there have been 178 slams in the interim – and Wade, the champion at Forest Hills in 1968, was there to witness the moment from the President’s Box. There will surely be many more.
There is no more masterful exponent of the poker face than Henman, but even he looked to be fighting back emotion as Raducanu paid warm tribute to him in her on-court interview with Rennae Stubbs. “Tim is honestly such a big inspiration,” said Raducanu, who will face Leylah Fernandez, the 19-year-old Canadian who has led the teenage charge in the opposite half of the draw, in Saturday’s final. “He’s been helping me, telling me to treat one point at a time, and in moments like this you definitely can’t get ahead of yourself, you really just need to stay present. So I’m really grateful for Tim and everything he’s done for British tennis and for me.”
It was a typically poised and thoughtful bouquet, but this was a victory built on inner qualities – serenity, self-assurance, belief – rather than outside influence. It has been the same throughout the fortnight. Raducanu likes to formulate her own tactics, and here her approach was once again spot on. She adopted a wider position on the baseline when serving, giving herself space to slice her serve out wide to Sakkari’s forehand in the deuce court, and nullified the Greek’s own potent delivery with the depth and consistency of her returns. She disrupted her opponent’s rhythm with occasional changes of pace and trajectory, and once again demonstrated her remarkable resilience under pressure as she fought off seven break points in her opening two service games to lay the foundations for another blistering start. Her composure is beyond extraordinary.
Raducanu calls to mind the young Chris Evert, the original “ice maiden”, calm under pressure and blessed with a gift for making her opponents freeze. Sakkari, who had started so determinedly, found herself 5-0 down in the blink of an eye. The psychological wounds from this defeat will linger long for the Greek 17th seed. Three month ago, Sakkari fell agonisingly short in her first major semi-final, losing to Barbora Krejcikova at the French Open after holding a match point. Seeking catharsis here, she found only more pain.
“She plays fearless,” said Sakkari. “She goes for it. She has nothing to lose. She’s enjoying herself. But we were all absent from the court these days playing against her. I saw Belinda [Bencic, the Olympic champion, who Raducanu beat in the previous round] yesterday. I don’t want to speak for her, but I think she would agree with me that we did not bring our best performance. I’m sad. I’m very broken that I couldn’t make it to my first final once again. But I’m positive that it will come sometime soon.”
Despite suffering an early break, Sakkari found something closer to her normal level in the second set. She saved two breaks points in the fifth game to stay in touch with Raducanu, but the Briton’s resolve never wavered. Her reward is a first major final in only her fourth WTA Tour event. She has everything to gain and nothing to lose.
“Being young, there is an element of you do play completely free,” reflected Raducanu. “But I’m sure that when I’m older or have more experience, yeah, the same will happen to me. I think the tables will turn. Some younger players will come through.
“Honestly, right now I’m just thinking of the game plan, how to execute. That’s what’s landed me in this situation. It hasn’t been focusing on who’s expected to win this match or that one. I think it’s just taking care of the day. That’s what I’m doing quite well at the moment.”
Earlier, asked by Stubbs if she was feeling the weight of expectation, Raducanu replied without missing a beat: “Is there any expectation? I’m a qualifier so technically, on paper, there’s nothing. No pressure on me.”
On the court and off, she has all the right answers.