NEW YORK — Emma Raducanu came to Flushing Meadows for her second Grand Slam tournament ranked so low that she needed to go through qualifying rounds just to get into the main draw. She’s just 18, so new to all of this, and yet no one has figured out a way to stop her.
Not even take a set off her.
Showing off the shots and poise of someone much more experienced, the 150th-ranked Raducanu became the first qualifier to get to the U.S. Open semifinals in the professional era — and, remarkably, the second teen in two days to secure a spot in the final four — by eliminating Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.