Follow us on Google Discover A lot has happened since Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez played each other in the 2021 US Open final.
Raducanu beat Fernandez to win the US Open four years ago, in what was the first all-teenager final at the New York major since 1999.
What made this run even more remarkable was that Raducanu was a qualifier, with the then world number 150 winning 10 consecutive matches in straight sets to claim her maiden major title.
Although she had bragging rights over Fernandez after winning the US Open final, it has not been so plain sailing for Raducanu since then.
Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty ImagesHow Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez’s careers have differed since the 2021 US Open final
Both Raducanu and Fernandez reached their respective career-highs nearly a year after the 2021 US Open final, which neither player has improved since then.
The 2021 US Open champion has been through many struggles in particular, having undergone surgeries on both her wrists, as well as her left ankle, which forced her to miss most of the 2023 season.
Raducanu has shown great signs of improvement in 2025, but physical issues continue to plague her progress and she is still yet to win another title.
Fernandez has not been able to match her run to the US Open final again, but she has gathered some silverware in the past four years.
The Canadian won her fifth career title just last week, with Fernandez winning the Japan Open for the first time in her career.
As a result, Fernandez has risen back up the rankings to world number 22 and is on the brink of returning to the top 20 once again.
Emma RaducanuLeylah FernandezCareer-high rankingNo.10 (July 2022)No.13 (August 2022)Current rankingNo.29No.22Titles Won since he 2021 US Open04 (Monterrey Open 2022, Hong Kong Open 2023, Washington Open 2025 & Japan Open 2025)Best Grand Slam result since the 2021 US OpenWimbledon Fourth Round (2024)Roland Garros Quarterfinal (2022)Record vs top 10 players3-17 (15%)9-21 (30%)What Leylah Fernandez said was the ‘hardest part’ after the US Open final
Raducanu and Fernandez have also not played each other since, but they have been asked about one another in the meantime.
Although she has achieved better things than Raducanu since the 2021 US Open final, Fernandez has not been bragging about her success.
When reflecting on the US Open final last year, Fernandez admitted that she could empathise with Raducanu due to the expectations she also faced as a teenager.
“I can certainly understand what Emma’s been going through,” Fernandez told The Times last year.
“Sometimes you put extra pressure on yourself, because you did something incredible at such a young age. Then you’re expected to do it again and again. I’ve been trying to accept it.
“That’s the hardest part, you feel you’re accepting it, but in reality you’re butting heads all the time with the pressure you give yourself.”
Raducanu has already ended her 2025 season after struggling with illness and physical issues in recent weeks, while Fernandez looks to continue rising up the ranks.
Fernandez will remain in Japan for the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo, before finishing her 2025 season in Hong Kong.