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• On this day in 2021: Emma Raducanu wins US Open title

  Emma Raducanu completed her fairytale in New York by winning the US Open singles title on this day in 2021.

  The 18-year-old produced one of the greatest sporting shocks of all time when she beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in the final.

  Playing in just her second grand slam tournament, the 18-year-old from Kent won all 20 sets she played in qualifying and the main draw to become the first British woman to win a grand slam singles title since Virginia Wade lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 1977.

  Raducanu was sitting her A Levels little more than three months previously and had not played a competitive match for more than a year but she burst onto the big stage like no one before her.

  Her achievement was unprecedented. No qualifier had ever reached a slam final before while she became the first woman ever to win a title in as few as two tournaments, and the youngest since Maria Sharapova triumphed at Wimbledon in 2004.

  “I’m still just so shocked, still in the moment,” she said immediately afterwards. “I can’t believe I came through that last service game. It honestly means absolutely everything to hold this trophy. I just don’t want to let go.

  “Yesterday and this morning there were a few weird feelings that I couldn’t put my finger on, I didn’t know what it was, but I think that’s just normal and when I came out on court I felt completely at home, business as usual, I was just focusing one point at a time.

  “I think the level was extremely high, both of us were playing unbelievable tennis. I had to fight really hard to cling onto that first set and then just keep my nose in front in the second.”

  Raducanu’s victory saw her achieve great commercial success, earning lucrative partnerships with a number of high-end brands such as Dior, Porsche and Evian.

  But success on the court has not been as easy to come by and her career has stalled since her unlikely win, with injuries severely restricting any progress.

• Coco Gauff honoured to follow Serena and Venus Williams at US Open

  Coco Gauff says Serena and Venus Williams are the reason she has won the US Open.

  American teenager Gauff picked up her first grand slam title at her home major, coming from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2.

  Gauff’s father Corey used to take his young daughter to Flushing Meadows to watch the Williams sisters in action.

  And the gilded duo, with eight US Open titles between them, inspired an eight-year-old Gauff, filmed dancing in the stands inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, to follow in their footsteps.

  “It’s crazy. I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy, to be honest,” said Gauff.

  “They have allowed me to believe in this dream, you know, growing up. You know, there wasn’t too many black tennis players dominating the sport.

  “It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember.

  “Obviously more came because of their legacy. So it made the dream more believable. But all the things that they had to go through, they made it easier for someone like me to do this.

  “I mean, you look back at the history with Indian Wells with Serena (when she was booed in 2001), all she had to go through, Venus fighting for equal pay.

  “Yeah, it’s just, like, it’s crazy and it’s an honour to be in that same kind of line-up as them.”

  Gauff’s day of destiny saw her became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

  The latter’s final farewell to tennis at the same championships last year left a colossal void in tennis in the US.

  So it felt entirely appropriate that Gauff, the heir apparent to the 23-time grand slam winner, stepped into her shoes 12 months later.

  Gauff used her acceptance speech to thank “the people who didn’t believe in me”.

  The 19-year-old was at a low ebb after losing in the first round at Wimbledon, but she has since won 18 of her past 19 matches and picked up three titles, including the big one in the Big Apple.

  “I would say for sure a little bit after the Wimbledon loss, honestly I just felt people were like, ‘oh, she’s hit her peak and she’s done’. It was all hype,” she added.

  “I see the comments. People don’t think I see it but I see it. I’m very aware of tennis Twitter.

  “Honestly after that, I was like, OK, I have a lot of work to do. So I think this means a lot to me. I wish I could give this trophy to my past self so she can be, like, all those tears are for this moment.”

• Reigning US Open champion Iga Swiatek bundled out by Jelena Ostapenko

  Iga Swiatek’s reign as US Open champion, and world number one, was ended by her nemesis Jelena Ostapenko.

  The 22-year-old Pole had not dropped a set on her way to the fourth round, but she had never beaten Ostapenko in three previous career meetings.

  Swiatek took the first set with relative ease but then Ostapenko’s sledgehammer of a forehand started finding its mark to level the match.

  A one-sided final set saw former French Open champion Ostapenko triumph 3-6 6-3 6-1.

  Swiatek’s defeat means that Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will take over as world number one after the tournament.

  Ostapenko will face Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals after the teenager ended the grand slam comeback of mother-of-two Caroline Wozniacki.

  The 19-year-old came from a break down in the first and third sets to win both and complete a 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory.

  Wozniacki’s return has been one of the stories of New York this year, having come out of retirement after more than three years and two children later.

  The 33-year-old former world number one has looked as though she has never been away, but a fired-up Gauff proved just too strong in the deciding set.

  Wozniacki got off to a dream start with a break in the first game and a 2-0 lead.

  But Gauff quickly got back on the board, levelling at 3-3 before going on to clinch the first set without dropping another game.

  Wozniacki cranked up the pressure in the second and Gauff started feeling it as her suspect forehand began to misfire and she was broken for 5-3 as the Dane levelled the match.

  Gauff looked uncomfortable as she dropped serve again at the start of the decider, but after pointedly ignoring the advice of coach Brad Gilbert, the wound-up American began firing backhand winners as if they were going out of fashion.

  She reeled off the next six games to clinch the victory and let out a loud scream of triumph after converting match point.

  “Definitely getting it to 2-1 (in the third set) was the turning point,” said Gauff.

  “I got broke and I showed I was still in the match. I started to go for my shots.

  “Caroline, it’s like she’s never left, the level she played was amazing. It’s weird because I grew up watching Caroline and when she won the Australian Open, so to be on court with her today was an honour.

  “She definitely gets to a lot of balls. I felt a bit like I was playing myself. I knew I had to play aggressive and go for my shots. In some moments I miss but I was happy I could get back and refocus.”

  It will be the fifth grand slam quarter-final of Gauff’s still-fledgling career and her second at Flushing Meadows.

  “I’ve been in this position before,” she added. “And I think I have confidence in myself that I can go even further.”