The Queen and Kate Middleton congratulate Emma Raducanu—the first British woman in 44 years to win a Grand Slam title

The teenager led a nail-biting final last night and gained lots of praise from the royals

Emma Raducanu
(Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images)

The Queen congratulated tennis star Emma Raducanu minutes after she won the US Open last night—claiming that her victory was a 'remarkable achievement'. 


Kate Middleton and Prince William Prince William, who just celebrated a major family occasion in France, weren't far behind, taking to Twitter to praise her 'stunning performance'. 

The British 18-year-old played a nail-biting final in the US tennis championships, where she took on another teenager Leylah Fernandez—and beat her 6-4, 6-3. 

Emma is the first-ever qualifier to win a major tournament, while she is the first British woman to win a Grand Slam champion in 44 years. 

The teenager from Kent took just two sets to beat the 19-year-old Canadian in a tense final—which even saw her injure her leg.

However, the Brit bounced back to win the iconic event and fell to the floor in disbelieve as she made her winning shot. Celebrities and royalty were quick to congratulate Emma, as she collected her winning trophy and prize money. 

The Queen sent the tennis pro a letter which said, "It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is a testament to your hard work and dedication."

"I have no doubt your outstanding performance, and that of your opponent Leylah Fernandez, will inspire the next generation of tennis players. I send my warmest good wishes to you and your many supporters."

Emma Raducanu

(Image credit: KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Tennis fans the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also took to Twitter to praise the teen on her amazing achievement, tweeting, "Huge congratulations on your stunning performances and historic Grand Slam victory! Incredible –we are all so proud of you. well done on your amazing achievements at this year’s #USOpen, it’s been a pleasure to watch."

Duchess Kate is well known for her love of the sport and annual attendances at Wimbledon. However, it was the Duchess' rarely-seen accessory at Wimbledon 2021 that really got fans talking.

Her win is a massive coup for women's and British tennis—as she is the first British woman to win a major title since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.

The Spice Girls, Boris Johnson and even Piers Morgan carried on the praise, via Twitter, for the 18-year-old tennis player.

The Spice Girls tweeted, "Wow! Amazing tennis from @leylahfernandez and @EmmaRaducanu that’s Girl Power right there!! Congratulations Emma."

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "What a sensational match! Huge congratulations to @EmmaRaducanu. You showed extraordinary skill, poise and guts and we are all hugely proud of you."

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.