It has been quite a ride on the Women’s draw of the 2021 US Open. We started with 128 players and we’re down to two. Nobody would have imagined that two women ranked outside of the top 50 would be disputing this final. However, when you look at the two women that are disputing this final, everyone knows they are stars in the making, so there’s no surprise there.

What has been surprising is how easily they have both dominated the tournament. It’s not uncommon for a young star to rise to the occasion at a grand slam. Many legends have broken through this way, such as Graf, Hingis, Williams, and Sharapova. The list goes on and on. What hasn’t happened is to see two teenage stars break through during the same tournament. We are truly witnessing something special. Nevertheless, there will be a winner and a loser.

In looking at who these players have beaten and how they have beaten them, one must give the nod to Fernandez. Fernandez has sent Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina, and Sabalenka packing. Three of those are top five players. Two of those are multiple grand slam winners. None of them had an answer to the 19-year old’s resilience and game. Many times, when a rising young player beats a tournament favorite at a Grand Slam, they end up losing in the next rounds. Not this player though, she just kept on taking down seeds all the way to the final.

However, there is another way to look at this as well. Raducanu didn’t take out as many great players, but the fact that she took out Sakkari so easily should send a signal to Fernandez about her current form. Sakkari was playing sublime tennis, beating tournament favorite Andreescu in a thriller and shutting the door on Pliskova, who has been playing great tennis. Against Raducanu, Sakkari had no answers.

In sum, it will be very difficult to predict who wins here. However, if I was to bet any money, it would have to be Fernandez. She is the older of the two, and the more experienced. That slight edge on maturity may put her over the edge. Fernandez will lift the first of her many Grand Slams on Saturday.

Like always, don’t forget to jump on to the TennisPAL app to stay up to date on tennis news, find groups of friends to play with, and get a virtual coach to help with your tennis game.