New British number one, Emma Raducanu's first title this season wasn't the US Open. It was in Felixstowe
The 18-year US Open Champion kicked off her season by winning at a British Tour event in May
Last updated 13th Sep 2021
British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu went from being a promising talent to bona fide star in the course of the last two weeks, after she swept aside fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in the finals of the US Open. By doing so she became the last British woman since Virginia Wade to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Raducanu's win in New York means that she is the new British number 1 female tennis player. But Flushing Meadows wasn't the first place Raducanu lifted a trophy in 2021. In May, fresh off of finishing her A-levels, she competed in and won the British Tour title at Felixstowe Lawn Tennis Club.
The LTA British Tour was one of the first tournaments organised by the UK Lawn Tennis Association following Covid-19 lockdown easing in England. Raducanu's brave game caught the eye of many observers, including the Felixstowe Lawn Tennis Club chairman Bill Cunnew's.
"There were one or two people at the event who said to me personally, Emma's one to look out for and that she was going to be coming through very soon. You generally take these things with a pinch of salt. But how wrong was I?", he said.
"We tend to have a little look in the background of some of the people who play in these tournaments and occasionally one or two of them stand out. Emma stood out. She looked very confident on the court. We now know why", he adds with a chuckle.
The club are also hoping to see a boost in memberships following the teenager's triumph. "We generally have increases in memberships around the time Wimbledon happens. As soon as it's on the telly, more people want to come and have a game. We know that Emma winning is going to have the same effect", Mr. Cunnow says before adding that the club are making plans to open the courts to people without charging them for a week or two, in celebration of the British number one's American exploits.