Emma Raducanu joins illustrious group with flawless US Open title run
Emma Raducanu did not drop a set in New York, placing her in among a number of all-time legends of the women’s game with the achievement.
On top of the seemingly unending talking points about the brilliance of the Brit in her Major success, Raducanu now sits among a handful of women to achieve maiden title mastery.
In the Open Era, only seven women had previously won their first Slam title without dropping a set.
Among them are 18-time Slam champion Chris Evert, who achieved the feat at the 1974 French Open, and five-time Slam champion Martina Hingis, who did so at the 1997 Australian Open.
As well as now being a part of such an exclusive club, Raducanu can boast to be the only woman to accomplish the result across more than 14 sets of tennis.
Evert and Christine O’Neil won 12 sets (six matches) and 10 sets (five matches) respectively for their triumphs, while the rest did so across a 128-woman seven match Slam draw.
However, as a qualifier, Raducanu played 10 matches on her way to winning the US Open title, winning an incredible 20 sets consecutively to lift the trophy.
“Even though on paper I didn’t drop a set, I think I faced a lot of adversity in every single on of my matches,” the 18-year-old expressed during her post-final press conference.
“I was down, or even if the scoreline was showing one thing, the dynamic of the points and the games, some long deuce games, just to come through those are important.
“So, I think what I did very well this tournament was press in the moments that I really needed to.”
Raducanu was dominant in every match she played, never facing a set point or being pushed to a tiebreak.
Her closest set scoreline came in her second qualifying match against Mariam Bolkvadze, 7-5 in the second.
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