Well, well, well! Who would have thought this would be the two women left fighting for the US Open Championship? We have young Brit Emma Raducanu against young Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez, and we will be crowning a first time Grand Slam Champion. Raducanu is coming into the final match as the favorite, at -178, whereas Fernandez is currently priced as the slight underdog, at +146.
It seems like the pressure really got to the higher seeds, and more experienced women, as they took on their truly fearless opponents. Obviously to get all the way to the final, both unseeded teenagers had to overcome some fierce competitors and top seeds! In the semi finals, Raducanu was as clinical as a top 10 player, and 17th seed, Sakkari, didn’t even get a look in; Fernandez had to fight a little bit harder against the second seed in Sabalenka, but did mange to get the job done in three sets.
So, which teenager will win the US Open? This will be such an interesting clash to watch and both young women come into this match without any fear and nothing to lose. With the same mindset for both, it will be interesting to see who ends up coming out on top!
Have a read on below at our tennis picks below for the women’s US Open final:
Emma Raducanu vs Leylah Annie Fernandez
This is it, we will have a first time Grand Slam Champion, and the odds are really close with Raducanu only the slight favorite, probably because she is just to drop a set, in both the qualifiers and the main draw. Standing in Raducanu’s way is another young gun in Fernandez, who in comparison had the much tougher draw, having to overcome a lot more high seeded players. This will be the first time in the Open Era at a Grand Slam final, that two unseeded players are fighting it out for the Championship, in either the men’s or women’s side of the draw. History has already been made!
Raducanu has won nine games so far this US Open, through qualifying as well as in the main draw. Throughout her nine matches, she is still yet to drop a set. Although, it wasn’t until the quarter finals that she faced a seeded player, but when push came to shove, she was certainly good enough to punish them with her game. She beat 11th seed, Bencic, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter finals, and then in the semi finals, she beat 17th seed, Sakkari, 6-1, 6-4.
Ripping up the history books ✨@EmmaRaducanu | #Wimbledon | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/vzle7RHS3Z
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) September 10, 2021
Raducanu has certainly had a break out tournament at the US Open, but we can’t forget her Wimbledon performance, where she managed to make it all the way through to the Round of 16, but had to retire before the match started. Who would have thought she would go even further at the very next Grand Slam, on a very different type of court.
Fernandez had to navigate a very tricky draw in order to reach the final here at the US Open, and this has resulted in a number of three set matches, and therefore spending a lot more time out on the court compared to her opponent. Fernandez has played four three set matches in a row, which started in the third round, where she took out the third seed, in Osaka, then in the Round of 16, where she took out the 16th seed, in Kerber, then in the quarter finals, where she took out the fifth seed, in Svitolina, and finally in the semi final last time out, there she overcome the second seed, in Sabalenka, to book herself a spot in her first ever Grand Slam final.
Fernandez has spent almost 13 hours on the court, and as she has never made it this deep into a Grand Slam tournament before, she will definitely be feeling it in her legs. But her consistency and fight had been very prominent, as there have been many times where she looked down and out, but still managed to fight back. One thing is for sure, she will not just roll over and let Raducanu get an easy victory here.
🇨🇦The Canadian has done it!🇨🇦
Leylah Annie Fernandez is off to her first career Grand Slam final at the #USOpen! pic.twitter.com/uTZASLQDur
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 10, 2021
Both women are still so young, but they already have such contrasting styles of play. Raducanu will look to force her powerful strokes from the baseline. She is such a clean striker of the ball, and will present a massive task for Fernandez to overcome. She has just power hit her opponents right off the court. Raducanu will look to attack from the very start.
With Fernandez, it’s all about defence, defence, defence. This is the tactic she has used to completely stifle her top 10 opponents, and completely frustrated them as well (just talk to Sabalenka’s smashed racquet). Her ability to counter hit and turn defence into offence is second to none. She also has the variety that could work very well to get the job done in this Grand Slam final.
So, who will come out on top? Well, this is a tricky one, but we think Raducanu is the deserved favorite, and Fernandez could be facing a little bit of fatigue. While both women have a never say die attitude, nerves will become a major factor in this match, which could cause big swings in performance. This is making us believe that this final match will go the distance, with the women who can hold her nerve for the longest getting the victory here.
Tennis Pick: Set Betting – Over 2.5 (+118)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
Image by: sirobi 2021
