Emma Raducanu made her tour-level debut just three months ago at Nottingham - now she’s made history as the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam.
The 18-year-old defeated 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez at the US Open, 6-4, 6-3.
"First of all, I really want to congratulate Leylah and her team, she played some incredible tennis and has beaten some of the top players in the world," Raducanu said.
"The level was extremely high and I hope we play each other in many more tournaments - and hopefully finals.
“I think it shows that the future of women’s tennis and just the depth of the game right now is so great.”
Raducanu was born in Canada to Chinese and Romanian parents and migrated with her family to London at just two years of age.
Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez have known each other since juniors, first taking to the court in an Under-12s competition. Source: WTA
She has previously thanked her Chinese-born mother for instilling her with discipline and respect for others.
"I think for me, having a Chinese mum, she definitely instilled from a young age hard work, discipline," the tennis prodigy said earlier in the tournament.
In a more personal interview with , the teenager credited the values learned from her Chinese cultural heritage for instilling her with confidence.
"I think the confidence comes from just inner belief," she told the magazine.
"My mum comes from a Chinese background, they have very good self-belief. It's not necessarily about telling everyone how good you are, but it's about believing it within yourself. I really respect that about the culture."
The teenager adding that her migrant parents can be hard to impress.
"They're very tough to please and have high expectations … so that's a big driving factor as to why I want to perform," she said.
"I think they've done a really great job. [After Wimbledon] I was straight back to work. And I think that's a result of many years of them just being super-focused, and not getting too high, but at the same time, not getting too low when the losses come."
Support for Radacanu has flowed in from around the world following her historic win from tennis greats to Prime Ministers - and even royalty.
Queen Elizabeth commended the British teenager's work ethic and achievements.
"It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is a testament to your hard work and dedication."
Tennis star Billie Jean King, who has 39 Grand Slam titles under her belt, complimented the maturity shown by Raducanu and Fernandez.
"What a terrific display of competition and maturity from two exceptional players," the tennis veteran said in a message posted on Twitter.
"It is wonderful to see this generation living our dream. I can’t remember a #USOpen with better crowd support."
The US Open has been a battle of the youngsters with Emma Raducanu virtually unknown at the start of that tournament - as was Fernandez.
The pair have known each other since juniors, first taking to the court in an under-12s competition.
all US Open 2021 men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals, semi-finals and both finals LIVE, FREE and in HD, and live-streamed via SBS On Demand from September 8-13.
