The records Kent tennis star Emma Raducanu has smashed on way to US Open semi-final
Emma Raducanu finds herself in rarefied company having reached the semi-finals in just her second grand slam tournament - and her first overseas.
Raducanu was an unknown wildcard when she arrived at Wimbledon earlier this year, ranked a lowly 338 in the world and with just one WTA Tour-level match under her belt. Yet, fresh from sitting her A-Level exams, she made a dramatic entrance on the big stage.
In beating Vitalia Diatchenko, French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova and world number 45 Sorana Cirstea she became one of the stories of the tournament.
Her success made her the youngest British woman to reach Wimbledon’s second week since 1959. Her run ended in frustrating circumstances as she was forced to retire against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic after suffering breathing difficulties, an outcome which led to a first brush with how harsh the media spotlight can be as her resolve was questioned.
Raducanu has come a long way since first earning a world ranking in 2018. She ended that year ranked 692. Twelve months later she had risen to 503 and she was 343 at the end of last year. Her Wimbledon exploits saw her leap to 179 and she is currently at 150. Her performances in New York have guaranteed she will rise to at least 74 when the rankings are next updated and another victory could see her overtake Johanna Konta and Heather Watson to become British number one.
Before her slam debut, Raducanu had been combining tennis with her education. She missed a number of tournaments abroad as she prepared for exams at Newstead School. She achieved an A in maths and an A* in economics but is now focused on a tennis career.
Her fairytale in New York has seen her smash more than just aces. Here's a look at the records she's been breaking:
Raducanu was the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 1990 to reach at least the fourth round on her first two slam appearances. The American was just 14 when she made the semi-finals of the French Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon. She made two more semi-finals and six quarter-finals in the next three years but it was too much, too young and she left the sport before returning to win three slam titles in her mid-20s.
Raducanu is the first qualifier ever to reach the last four.
Her victory Olympic champion Belinda Bencic made Raducanu just the third woman in US Open history ranked outside the top 100 to reach the semi-finals. Kim Clijsters and Billie Jean King are the only other two women to achieve the feat.
Could she become the first British woman to reach a grand slam final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977?