Who is Emma Raducanu? British tennis star, 18, shining at US Open 2021, past results, parents - and what next

Teenager Emma Raducanu has advanced from qualifying to the final at the US Open 2021 without dropping a set in New York
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Emma Raducanu is quickly becoming the story of the US Open 2021.

The 18-year-old Brit has defied the odds to make it through to the women’s final at Flushing Meadows where she will face Leylah Fernandez, 19, from Canada.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is the second time this year the teenager has excelled on the Grand Slam stage, having previously reached the Round of 16 at the Wimbledon Championships before retiring on medical grounds.

Rising tennis star Raducanu, who only finished her A-Levels two months before Wimbledon, was then playing in her first Grand Slam having only recently started on the pro circuit.

Bromley tennis star Emma Raducanu beat Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon 2021 to set up a third round tie with Sorana Cirstea. (Pic: Getty)Bromley tennis star Emma Raducanu beat Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon 2021 to set up a third round tie with Sorana Cirstea. (Pic: Getty)
Bromley tennis star Emma Raducanu beat Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon 2021 to set up a third round tie with Sorana Cirstea. (Pic: Getty)

Here's all you need to know about Emma Raducanu - from what subjects she has taken at school to what the future holds for the young tennis prospect tipped for big things.

Who is Emma Raducanu?

Born in Toronto, Canada, to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, Emma Raducanu moved to England aged two and grew up in London.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Keen on sports from a young age, Raducanu had a go at go-karting, horse riding, swimming and basketball - but it was soon apparent that tennis was her calling.

She first picked up a racquet aged five and joined the Bromley Tennis Academy in London where she began to hone her skills on the court.

Her first ITF (International Tennis Federation) title came in May 2018 when she won in Israel, quickly followed by a second in Turkey in October of the same year.

She reached the same final in Israel the following year and won in India in December 2019.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Raducanu made her WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour debut at the Nottingham Open earlier this year before receiving a wildcard to Wimbledon 2021.

What was Emma Raducanu's school?

Emma Raducanu attended girls grammar school Newstead Wood in Orpington, London, where she recently completed her A-Level studies in maths and economics.

Emma Raducanu - US Open record

Emma Raducanu is into her first Grand Slam final at her debut appearance at the US Open.

British teen, Raducanu, is scheduled to play Leylah Fernandez on Saturday 11 September 2021 after beating 17th seed Maria Sakkari in straight sets - 6-1 6-4 - in their semi final in New York.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Having seen off Swiss Stefanie Vögele 6-2 6-3 in the first round, Zhang Shuai of China 6-2 6-4 in the second and Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0 6-1 in the third, Raducanu faced Shelby Rogers in the fourth round of this year’s US Open.

Raducanu beat Rogers - the only American women’s player left in the US Open 2021 at the time - in straight sets 6-2 6-1 to advance to the quarter finals of the tennis tournament.

There, Raducanu overcame 11th seed Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-4 to advance to the semi finals of the US Open where she beat Sakkari of Greece to advance to the women’s final.

Raducanu is the first qualifier ever to reach a Grand Slam final.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Raducanu said: “I think honestly being young, there is an element of you do play completely free.

“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.”

What’s been said about Emma Raducanu?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Martina Navratilova believes British sensation Emma Raducanu is the real deal and has a shot at US Open glory.

“The path has opened now, of course for everybody, but Emma Raducanu, what a story,” 18-time grand slam singles winner Navratilova told Amazon Prime.

“We talked a lot about her at Wimbledon. She went back to the drawing board here this summer and she’s worked her way through qualifying and she’s hardly lost any games.

“She was up 6-0 5-0 yesterday before she finally lost a game so she is looking really, really good. Her head is all working and her strokes are immaculate. I’m looking forward to seeing that match and then maybe more.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“You see special when you see it for the first time, you know that you’ve got something special, and she’s one of those people. It’s not hype, it’s real.”

Emma Raducanu - Wimbledon record

Wimbledon 2021 was Emma Raducanu's first time in the women's singles draw.

She overcame Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko in the first round before stunning the Wimbledon crowd with a straight sets win over Czech player Marketa Vondrousova.

Vondrousova, 22, was ranked world number 41 and, though not seeded at Wimbledon 2021, was expected to beat teenager Raducanu, who was then ranked 338th in the world.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Raducanu was the only British women's singles player left in the draw after the second round - and is the youngest British woman to reach the third round of Wimbledon since Elena Baltacha in 2002.

Raducanu's second round win saw her pocket at least £115,000 from this year's Wimbledon championships. She had previously earned around £30,000 overall.

Raducanu saw off Sorana Cirstea, of Romania, 6-3 7-5 in the third round at Wimbledon but withdrew from her fourth round match with Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, in the second set.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.