Emma Raducanu’s US Open final to be Broadcasted free-to-air in UK on Channel 4
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Emma Raducanu
18-year old Emma Raducanu on Thursday became the first British woman in 44 years to reach a Grand Slam singles finals after the teen sensation defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4, her 9th win of the fortnight where she won without dropping a single set including the qualifying rounds she played to enter the main-draw of the US Open 2021.
She became the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach the Grand Slam final and the youngest player to reach the finals since Maria Sharapova in 2005 and also became the 5th player in history to reach the finals of the US Open on her debut. Emma started the tournament ranked World No. 150 and she is guaranteed to have move 100 places in the ranks to become the highest-ranked British woman when the rankings are updated.
Rising to the special occasion for Great Britain, Channel 4 has struck a last-minute deal with Amazon Prime Video to broadcast the match for free. Amazon currently holds the right to broadcast the US Open since 2018 in the UK which they signed for $40 million.
“Emma’s meteoric rise to secure a place in the US Open Final is just sensational. We’re glad to have worked with Prime Video and pulled out all the stops to get it on air and I’m sure viewers will be thrilled at the prospect of watching Emma in this grand slam final,” said Channel 4’s chief content officer, Ian Katz.
Emma Raducanu looking to become the first British woman in 53 years to win the US Open
In Saturday’s finals, which happens to be the first all-teen final at the US Open since 1999, Leylah Fernandez will look to stop Emma from becoming the first British woman champion in New York since Virginia Wade won the inaugural US Open title in Open Era during the 1968 US Open. Since then no British woman reached the finals before Emma.
If Emma goes on to win the title, she will also become the first British woman in 44 years to win a Grand Slam title. The last winner was Virginia Wade at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships. While there are multiple records at stake for Emma, her opponent is also a first-time finalist in a Grand Slam and it promises to be a thrilling encounter between them with the whole of Britain catching the action live on Channel 4.
Also Read: Greg Rusedski expects Emma Raducanu to win Grand Slams and become World No.1 in the future
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Sarthak Shitole
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