Dylan Bettencourt
Umdlali osemncane u-Emma Raducanu ube ngumdlali wokuqala owine isicoco se-Grand Slam ngesikhathi ehlula uLeyla Fermandez bedlalela i-US Open ngoMgqibelo.
Lo mdlali oneminyaka eyi-18 uqophe umlando ngokuba owesifazane wokuqala oqhamuka e-British ukuba ngumpetha selokhu kwagcina uVirginia Wade ngonyaka wezi-1977. Uhambo lwakhe lokuwina isicoco luqale mhla zingama-25 kuNcwaba emizuliswaneni yokuhlunga abadlali abangenzi kahle.
Ube esewina imidlalo eyishumi ilandelana ukuze athweswe umqhele njengompetha we-US Open njengoba ungekho umdlalo ahlulwe kuwo. Ngaphambi kwalokhu akakaze abe kumcimbi we-Grand Slam futhi akakaze awine emidlalweni yabesifazane yebhola lethenisi.
Amathikithi kaRaducanu athengwe ngemuva kokuba angenele imijikelezo, kodwa angeke esawadinga lawo mathikithi.
“Lo bekuwumdlalo obukhuni” kusho uRaducanu ngemuva kowamanqamu.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi lomdlalo ubuseqopheleni eliphezulu kakhulu. Ngiyathemba ukuthi sisazodlala sobabili kumathonamenti azayo noma sesifike kowamanqamu.”
Sikhuluma ngokushintsha kwenhlanhla! Ezinyangeni ezedlule, lo mdlali osemncane oqhamuka e-Orpington ubebhala izivivinyo zakhe, kodwa manje useziwinele izigidi ezingama-35 zamarandi. Selokhu aqala ukudlala imidlalo yethenisi ubesahole imali engaphansi kwesigidi.
URaducanu uyena omncane kunabobonke kwimidlalo ye-Grand Slam selokhu kwagcina ngoMaria Sharapova owawina e-Wimbledon ngonyaka wezi-2004 eneminyaka eyi-17.
Abakade bemhalalisela kubalwa iNdlovukazi yesibili u-Elizabeth wase-Brits othe kwisitatimende sakhe “lokhu ukuphumelela okuyisimangaliso kwintombazane esencane kangaka futhi kuyakufakazela ukuthi usebenze kanzima wazinikela”.
Umthombo wesithombe: @USOpen