US Open 2021: Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter & Harriet Dart qualify for New York main draw
- Published
Raducanu reached the last 16 at Wimbledon last month on her Grand Slam debut
US Open 2021 |
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Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 30 August-12 September |
Coverage: Daily radio commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra/BBC Sport website and app, with selected live text commentaries and match reports on the website and app |
British trio Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart have reached the US Open women's singles main draw after winning their final qualifying matches.
Raducanu, 18, enjoyed a dominant 6-1 6-4 win over Egypt's Mayar Sherif in her final qualifier.
Boulter, 25, beat Slovakia's Kristina Kucova 7-5 2-6 6-4.
Dart, 25, reached her fourth overseas Grand Slam with a 6-7 (1-7) 6-1 6-3 win against Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova.
After reaching her first US Open main draw by beating Sherif - who recently broke into the world's top 100 - teenager Raducanu said: "It is a great sense of achievement and I'm really proud of myself."
It will also be Boulter's first appearance in the main draw in New York after the Briton overcame some physical issues in the heat to see off eighth seed Kucova.
After edging the first set with a break of serve in the 12th game, Boulter needed the trainer and doctor in a second set where she trailed 5-0.
The pair took a 10-minute break before the decider because of the heat and, from trailing 4-2, Boulter won the final four games to reach the first round, which starts at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
"I was struggling a little bit, I haven't played too many matches since Wimbledon and it was brutal out there with the heat," said Boulter.
"It got to me in the second set after a long match yesterday. There was not much time before today's match. I didn't have much energy, didn't have much power.
"The doctor gave my some stuff to help with the nausea and it made a difference. I felt I did such a great job of finding a way through it."
Then Londoner Dart, either side of a thunderstorm, beat 12th seed Tomova in three sets to round off a successful day, joining Raducanu and Boulter as well as Johanna Konta and Heather Watson in the women's singles draw.
Raducanu will play the 13th seed Jennifer Brady, the American runner-up at this year's Australian Open.
Boulter will play world number 52 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia.
And Dart takes on Caroline Garcia of France, a former world number four, who now stands at 61.
Assured Raducanu backs up Wimbledon run in New York
After announcing her arrival on the Grand Slam stage with a stunning run to the Wimbledon last 16 as a wildcard, Raducanu now has the chance to shine at her first overseas major.
It was another assured performance from the world number 150, who has backed up her Wimbledon exploits with three wins this week in the Flushing Meadows heat.
She had to retire from her fourth-round match at the All England Club with breathing difficulties and dizziness, and spoke this week of needing to "physically get stronger and have better endurance".
Raducanu served well throughout the match against Sherif, clinching victory on her third match point - and first on serve - with an ace out wide.
The teenager, who was given a wildcard for Wimbledon, broke out into a beaming smile as she triumphantly raised both arms in the air after qualifying for a Grand Slam for the first time.
"It is a very nice feeling to reach the main draw on my own, maximising every single opportunity I get is what I want to do," said Raducanu.
"The conditions have been brutal for everyone, it was difficult to play in the heat. I did a lot of recovery [on Thursday night] and did everything in my power to try and give myself the best chance.
"In my mind, if I were to lose, it would have been my physicality that let me down. So I'm very happy and I felt fresh out there."
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