London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Weird to be in US Open semis - Raducanu

Weird to be in US Open semis - Raducanu

Emma Raducanu says it is a "weird feeling" to have reached the US Open semi-finals and be one of the last few remaining players in the locker room.

The 18-year-old Briton continues her dream run when she meets Greek 17th seed Maria Sakkari on Thursday.

The pair play on Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York at about 21:00 local time (02:00 BST, Friday).

"I didn't think I'd be here. But now I am, I'm so excited to get out there," said Raducanu.

Raducanu has exceeded expectations in her first overseas Grand Slam - and only her fourth tour-level event - by becoming the first qualifier to reach the US Open last four.

After coming through three qualifying matches to reach the main draw, the Kent teenager is yet to drop a set in her eight matches at Flushing Meadows.
The latest triumph came against Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic on Wednesday and set up the last-four meeting with Sakkari, who also reached the semi-finals at the French Open in June.

Raducanu joked that the fewer players there were left in the tournament the "easier to get a practice court at a decent time".

"To be in the semi-finals with so few people left in the tournament, it is a weird feeling and I haven't quite wrapped my head around it," she said.

"I'm excited though, for sure."

After beating Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova in her quarter-final, Sakkari said: "Emma is having a great run but I trust myself and trust my game. I believe a lot in myself."


Raducanu ready to star under the New York lights


Raducanu has continued to break new ground at Flushing Meadows and there will be another new experience when she plays in the night session on Ashe for the first time.

Playing underneath the lights on the biggest tennis court on the world - which has a capacity of nearly 24,000 - is an experience like no other.

With exuberant fans enjoying the mid-match entertainment - which usually includes music, dancing fans, celebrities being introduced to the crowd and 'Kiss Cam' at the changeovers - there is always a din of background noise in a crackling atmosphere.

"It'll be my first night match here in New York and it will be a cool atmosphere," Raducanu said.

"Playing in the evening I have a bit more time to recover and prepare as much as possible, then we will see what happens."

Raducanu has played both of her matches on Ashe in the day session
Relaxed Raducanu rising through the rankings
Raducanu has long been tipped as a future star by those who know her, but nobody would have predicted the ease with which she has breezed through the US Open main draw.


She has not even been taken to a tie-break, conceding just 22 games to her five opponents in the main draw.

Beating Bencic means Raducanu will rise to the cusp of the world's top 50, in the process overhauling Johanna Konta and Heather Watson to become the British women's number one.

One more victory will lift her into the top 30 - moving her above American veteran Serena Williams, who did not play in this year's US Open because of injury.

Reaching the last four also guarantees $675,000 (£490,000) in prize money. Having only played three tour-level events before the US Open - including the last-16 run at Wimbledon - Raducanu had previously earned $303,376 (£220,380) in her career.

Whatever happens on Thursday at Flushing Meadows, British doubles player Naomi Broady says she is convinced Raducanu will become a star in British tennis for many years to come.

"It is so exciting. Everyone can say we need to calm down, we've seen it before and nothing has come of it, but with what we've seen in this run, let us live in this moment of excitement," said Broady, who revealed she was texting Raducanu a few hours before Wednesday's quarter-final.

"I wasn't sure if she would be responding because I thought she might be off her phone.

"She was super relaxed - it was a totally normal conversation.

"You wouldn't have thought she was about to go on for her first Grand Slam quarter-final."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×