British teenager Emma Raducano reached the final of the U.S. Open, where she continued to rise rapidly by beating Greek No. 17 seed Maria Sakkari in two stunning straight sets in New York.
The 18-year-old Raducanu continued her dream with a 6-1 6-4 victory, and her dominance was once again almost unbelievable.
She was the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final and will play another teenager, Lyra Fernandez, on Saturday.
Raducano is the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final in 44 years.
Under the watchful eye of Virginia Wade(the last woman to achieve this feat at the 1977 Wimbledon Open), Raducano scored another fearless and relentless victory that shocked spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After confidently throwing a volley from the first match point, Raducannu threw the racket on the pitch with his hands over his mouth.
Soon, she burst into a big smile and then won a loud cheer on the world's largest tennis court.
"Time in New York went by so quickly, I took care of every day and three weeks later I made it to the final. I really can't believe it," Raducano said.
After making it to the main stage through three qualifying matches, she didn't concede a single set in nine games on Flushing Meadows.
This is only Raducannu's second Grand Slam tournament and the fourth tournament in her career at Tour level.
In addition, Raducanu is:
Before reaching Wimbledon's round of 16 earlier this summer, Raducanu was ranked 336th in the world.
The victory put her in the final four places in the Flushing Meadows, which has been determined to become the first place for British women, thus approaching the top 30.
Most relevantly, when she faced Canada's 19-year-old world-numbered 73rd Fernandez at 21:00 BST on Saturday, it gave the London teenager – who also passed her A-level exam this summer – a chance to win one of tennis's most prestigious titles.
Given the one-sided nature of the victory over Sakkari – and the previous victories – Raducanu would not have been bothered by such occasions.
Britain's last women's Grand Slam champion, Virginia Wade, watched Raducano's latest victory over Ashe, describing the teenager's match this week as a "tick".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="20" > fast start paid off for Raducanu</h1>
Reaching the final 16 at Wimbledon on her Grand Slam debut made Raducanu a star, but somehow she surpassed what she had achieved there with her extraordinary achievements in New York.
Once again, she beat a more experienced opponent so easily that her age and experience were staggering.
Former Britain number one Greg Rusedski said her performance towards Sakkari was "comparable to the world number one".
French Open semi-finalist Sakkari, like her opponents before her, was confused by Raducano's composure and execution. The Greeks also aimed to reach her Virgo Grand Slam final, but couldn't cope with Raducannu's intensity and couldn't find a solution to deny it.
Raducannu faced seven break points in the opening two serves and saw them both save two sets and take a 3-0 lead with a break in between.
Frustrated that she couldn't take the chance, Sakkari yelled and complained to the referee in her box before running to change dresses during the first switch.
Contrary to Sakkari's anxious look, Raducanu seemed completely unhurried about the occasion.
With the support of some fans wearing the British flag and waving the flag, the Briton won all the decisive points in the process of winning the opening match in 36 minutes.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="29" > Henman provided inspiration and was easy to complete</h1>
Statistics show Raducano's clean shots and composure: the Briton played 17 winning goals and 17 unforced turnovers, while Sakkari had 17 winning goals and 33 unforced turnovers
Being the front-runner is raducano's already accustomed position at Flushing Meadows, and once she scored in the second set with a 2-1 lead, Sakari seemed to have nowhere to turn back.
The Greek continued to put pressure on the next two serve games – but she managed to keep hope alive by holding on to a single turnover.
As the Greek player's family looked increasingly nervous, Sakkari saved five break points in a major game that lasted nearly 10 minutes to take a 4-3 lead.
After the exchange, Raducano had the opportunity to serve the match.
A wayward forehand gave Sakkari a 15-0 lead, and then Raducanu found the first serve that could not be returned and led to "Come on! The loud roar, which marked the relief of the British.
A relentless forehand shot scored 30-15 and another ground-breaking back that set a match point.
With a place in the U.S. Open final beckoning, she locked in the victory with a forehand interception, without any signs of nervousness.
After the match, Raducano said she had sought help from former Uk number one Tim Henman, who stood on the side of the pitch as a TV analyst to provide reassuring support before the match point was on the pitch.
"Honestly, Tim was a big inspiration and he told me to deal with it at once," she said.
"In moments like these, you definitely can't get over yourself, you need to stay on the spot.
"I thank Tim for all he has done for English tennis and for me."
<H1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > New York's teen kick marks a change of guard</h1>
Earlier on Thursday night, Canada's Fernandez locked up her place in the final with a result that shocked Belarus' second seed Alina Sabalenka.
Non-seeded Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, won 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4, winning in the tense semi-finals.
Raducanu's victory was followed by an eighth Grand Slam final of the open era among teenagers.
It was the first time since the 1999 U.S. Open, when the U.S. wanted Serena Williams to defeat Switzerland's Martina Singis.
The success of Raducano and Fernandez put an end to the tournament, with a number of young stars filling the gap of several big-name players with outstanding performances – notably Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova said the success of Raducano and Fernandez was a moment of "changing the guard".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="49" >raducanu's achievements "don't seem real"—a reaction</h1>
Naomi Broady, a Uk player at BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "I was speechless and I am very happy for her. It wasn't Maria Sakkari's night, but the tremendous pressure Emma Raducanu had put on her from the start.
"She had seven break points, Maria Sakkari, and she couldn't take one. From that moment on, Raducano ran off the race.
"How exciting is that? We can be excited about it, we are not British, but beyond ourselves - it's amazing! ”
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent in New York: "Emma Raducano made it look very easy to get to a Grand Slam final.
"If you think about the players who have been trying to reach the Grand Slam final for England in the women's tournament since Virginia Wade in 1977 – Johanna Conta was very close at the 2019 French Open, as was Joe Douri, who was also a semi-finalist at the French Open. The U.S. Open and other appearances at that stage of the Grand Slam.
"However, Emma Raducanu did it in her second Grand Slam attempt and her performances throughout the summer wowed us. This doesn't seem real. ”