Ex-Fresno St. star falls in last round of U.S. Open qualies

Emma Raducanu, playing in San Jose, Calif., early this month, beat Mayar Sherif
in the last round of U.S. Open qualifying. 2021 photo by Mal Taam

   No. 31 seed Emma Raducanu, an 18-year-old British sensation, defeated No. 4 seed Mayar "Who Shot The" Sherif (Fresno State, 2015-16) of Egypt 6-1, 6-4 today in the final round of U.S. Open qualifying in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

   In July, Raducanu became the youngest British woman to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon in the Open Era, which began in 1968. She lost in the first round of this month's Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif., as a wild card and reached the final of last week's $125,000 tournament in Chicago.

   Sherif had advanced to the final of her last two tournaments, both on clay. She became the first Egyptian to play in a WTA singles final in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in early August, losing to No. 2 seed and former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic of Germany.

   Sherif had never played in the U.S. Open before this week.

   WTA Tour — In a late doubles semifinal in Cleveland, No. 1 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan topped No. 4 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix and Shelby Rogers of Charleston, S.C., 7-6 (4), 1-6 [10-7].

   Aoyama and Shibahara, a 23-year-old native of Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area, are scheduled to play unseeded Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and Sania Mirza of India on Saturday. 

   The 34-year-old Mirza, formerly ranked No. 1 in doubles, took 2018 and 2019 off to have her first child.