EMMA RADUCANU’S history-making US Open final against Leylah Fernandez will be shown on Channel 4 tonight.
The 18-year-old is the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
And UK tennis fans will be able to watch the match on free-to-air television from 8pm.
It comes after Channel 4 reached a last-minute agreement to share the broadcast with Amazon Prime Video.
Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said: “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.”
Channel 4’s deal to air Raducanu’s huge final comes just weeks after they secured live television coverage of England’s Test series against India.
It was the first time live Test cricket had been shown on a free-to-air broadcaster since England’s Ashes victory over Australia in 2005.
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Raducanu has not dropped a set on her way to the final as she has picked up a swarm of new fans on her Flushing Meadows debut.
And while the spotlight is firmly on the teenager, she insists there is very little pressure on her shoulders as she prepares to face 19-year-old Fernandez.
She said: “Is there any expectation? I’m a qualifier so there’s no pressure on me!”
The prize money on offer to the victor is £1.8m – almost DOUBLE Raducanu and Fernandez’s combined career earnings.
They were both born in Canada – Raducanu spending the first two years of her life in Toronto before moving to London.
Raducanu was born in November 2002 – just a couple of months after tennis icon Pete Sampras won his 14th Grand Slam title.
The daughter of a Romanian father and Chinese mother, the youngster moved to London when she was just two years old.
She turned pro in 2018 before joining the WTA Tour this year – the highest level in women’s tennis.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the net is Canada’s very own teen talent Fernandez.
Born in Montreal to a Filipino Canadian mother and Ecuadorian father, the family moved to Florida after Leylah had success as a junior at age 12.
Her dad is also her coach, although he is not with her in New York, instead offering coaching tips in daily phone conversations.
Raducanu and Fernandez met each other for the first time when they were both playing in U12 tournaments and bonded over their shared connection to Canada.
On Saturday, they will share a court for the first time in a tour-level match.
They did play, however, in the Wimbledon junior tournament’s second round in 2018.
Raducanu won that one. Three years later, they’ll play again on a grander stage and with much, much more at stake.
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