It is a match that will be watched by appointment for tennis fans across Canada.
Several viewing parties are planned, including a Tennis Canada gathering in her native Montreal, to see Leylah Fernandez take on British teenager Emma Raducanu this afternoon in the women’s singles final of the US Open.
Fernandez, 19, has wowed the crowd in New York with his unexpected run to the first Grand Slam final of his career.
READ MORE: Auger Aliassime at the US Open; Fernandez, a crowd favorite, now carries Canada’s hopes
Fernandez, who resides in Boynton Beach, Florida but represents Canada, defeated WTA Tour stars Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the championship.
She was ranked 73rd in the world at the start of the tournament, but has played like a veteran.
His opponent is also an unexpected finalist: Raducanu, 18, the 150th in the world, hails from Toronto and moved to the London area at age two.
READ MORE: Leylah Fernández from Canada wins US Open semifinal, advances to final
He needed to get through the qualifying rounds just to get to the main draw. Raducanu has yet to lose a set in the tournament.
Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the men’s singles semifinals before falling to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev on Friday afternoon.
Fernández is looking to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title since Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario, won the US Open in 2019.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca