GLORY AWAITS

Leylah Fernandez to Face Emma Raducanu in All-Teen U.S. Open Final

In two more shocking upsets—although, at this point, perhaps not so shocking—the Canadian and Briton each made it through the semifinal.

The incredible runs of Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu will continue to the U.S. Open final. Nineteen-year-old Canadian phenom Fernandez beat the world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4 in a grueling 2-1/2-hour match Thursday night. At one point in the second set, a trailing Sabalenka was so frustrated by the game and the clearly pro-Fernandez crowd that she smashed her racquet onto the court, destroying it, and earning herself a code violation. Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, won matches against both defending champion Naomi Osaka and fifth seed Elina Svitolina earlier in the tournament. Fernandez will face Emma Raducanu on Saturday face after the 18-year-old Briton dispatched world No. 17 Maria Sakkari in straight sets later Thursday. It will be the first U.S. Open final in more than two decades to boast two teens vying for the title. (The last time, in 1999, a 17-year-old Serena Williams walked away with the trophy.) When asked how she pulled off the Thursday night victory, Fernandez laughed. “I have no idea.”