Raducanu vs. Fernandes: Preview and betting tips

Not Barty, not Osaka, not Sabalenka, not Pliskova. The big favourites failed in the tournament and the composition of the final pair is very surprising. Players nobody expected to win the title. Raducanu and Fernandes will play for the Grand Slam title. These tennis hopefuls have literally shocked the tennis world. It will also be the youngest Grand Slam final in history. What are their stories? How did they achieve this success? Who will be the favourites in the final?

Canada has another representative in the US Open finals after 2 years. In 2019, Bianca Andresscu made it to the final. She even won the whole tournament and became the first ever Canadian Grand Slam champion.

Leylah Fernandes will try to do something similar. Before the tournament, a top eight player, a great Canadian talent. She wasn’t expected to be much of a success. But at the last grand slam of the season, she began to live up to her potential.

She took the opening two matches with ease and confirmed her role as the favourite in these duels. But then she had one hell of a draw. She faced Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina and Sabalenka. 3 top 5 players, 2 grand slam winners.

The Canadian’s journey couldn’t have been more difficult. It’s even more amazing that she made it through all these matches, her reward will be the chance to play for the US Open title.

The Canadian showed tremendous determination, fight, strong mentality, and great tennis quality in these matches. Even when she was losing during the match, she didn’t break down and managed to turn the match around. While her more experienced opponents failed at key moments, Fernandes was able to withstand those moments.

Her performance was also of a very high standard. Aggressive play with fewer unforced errors celebrated success. In the final, the Canadian will have a very solid chance to triumph. One thing is for sure, after scalping Osaka or Sabalenka, she will definitely not get down from the sight of the big match.

The story of Emma Raducanu is even more remarkable. The British player first came to prominence at her home Grand Slam. At Wimbledon, she surprisingly reached the semi-finals. Before the last Grand Slam of the season, she was helped by a challenger in Chicago, where she reached the final. Still, she could only surprise at the US Open, expectations were not high.

At the start of the tournament, she was ranked as high as 150th in the rankings, so she had to qualify. The British player did it and earned her ticket to the main draw. The big ride was about to begin. She managed the first week of the US Open perfectly, giving her opponents no chance and even inflicting a big debacle on a few of them.

Her tougher opponents didn’t come until the quarterfinals. Even among the top 8, her journey through the tournament didn’t stop. She beat both Bencic and Sakkari and will play for a grand slam title. The Briton didn’t lose a set on her way to the final. She is also the only player in history to go from qualification to the final.

And what’s the magic behind this talented Brit’s success? Excellent serve, great movement, attacking tennis with a large number of winning shots and a minimum of unforced errors. Raducanu also showed a very strong mentality. She didn’t have to go through as many difficult moments as her opponent, but she still managed most of the important moments perfectly. In short, she has all the aspects that a true champion should not lack.

Stats:

• The youngest GS final in tennis history.
• It’s been 53 years since the last time a British player played a Grand Slam final, and that was Virginia Wade
• The Brit is the youngest GS finalist since 2004, the youngest US open finalist since 1999.
• If Raducanu wins the title she will move up to 24th, if Fernandes succeeds she will move into the top 20.

What to bet on?

This surprise final will not have a clear favourite. Both players play in a similar style, their performance is also practically the same. It will be a matter of who can withstand the pressure better and who will show a more focused and better performance. Still, I would have more faith in the young British player. She hasn’t lost a set in the tournament, her way of playing is more handsome and less risky. But this match could go either way.