Emma Raducanu honored by queen in annual New Year’s list

LONDON (AP) — U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II in the British monarch’s annual New Year’s list following the teenager’s breakthrough performance at Flushing Meadows. The 19-year-old Raducanu was made an MBE by the queen, or Member of the Order of the British Empire. It caps a remarkable year for Raducanu, whose U.S. Open win catapulted her to instant stardom in Britain. She was also named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2021 after becoming the first British woman to win a Grand Slam tournament since Virginia Wade in 1977. Raducanu said she was “immensely proud” of being awarded the MBE.