Emma Raducanu created history after defeating Greek player Maria Sakkari 6-1,6-4 to reach the final of the US Open. This makes her the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Virginia Wade’s exploits in the 1977 Wimbledon. The 18-year-old is already a national superstar.
Raducanu will be facing another teenager from Canada, Leylah Annie Fernandez, who defeated 2nd seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4. The two teenagers will be facing off in the grand finale. This is the first time two teenagers will be squaring off since Martina Hingis and Serena Williams in 1999.
With such a monumental achievement for the UK, many want the match to be broadcasted for free. However, the media rights belong to Amazon Prime. They have set the price at $79 per year for viewing. Amazon prime will be delivering live coverage of the game.
“Amazon is currently the UK TV rights owner of the US Open, so questions about negotiations for coverage or highlight packages are a matter for it and other broadcasters,” said a DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) spokesperson.
“The Government believes the current listed events regime, as set out in the Broadcasting Act, works well and strikes an appropriate balance between retaining free-to-air sports events for the public while allowing rights holders to negotiate agreements in the best interests of their sport.”
However, BBC has secured a last-minute deal that allows them to broadcast the highlights of the match immediately after the end of the game. BBC radio will provide Live audio coverage. BBC Sport online will give live text commentary while BBC TV will show the highlights.