Two teenagers, one from Canada, and the other from United Kingdom (but born in Canada) are creating sensation at the US Open this year. They both are a product of mixed ancestry. Leyla Fernandez is 19 and her mother comes from the Philippines. Emma Raducaru is 18, and her mother is Chinese. They seem to have taken the tennis world by storm–and that is not only due to having stormed into the semi-finals out of nowhere, but more so due to their never give up attitude, charm, and baby-face smiles.
At the time of writing this, Emma Raducaru is having her semi-final match against M. Sakkari and leading 3-0 in the second set, having won the first 6-1. One can never say but it seems she is destined to win and make history. If she does, she will be meeting Leyla Fernandez in the final on Saturday. The crowds are roaring to see that happen.
I wish somebody could tell the Mullahs/terrorists in Afghanistan that the entire world would have rooted for an Afghani teenager if she could make it to the US Open or Wimbledon, or another prestigious sports event. But the Mullahs can’t see anything except Islam and Sharia, and they probably derive pleasure from locking up women in their homes. The women in Afghanistan won’t be able to study, go out, play sports, or work outside their homes, according to the Taliban logic.
These men with big beards and small minds are the holdouts of an age gone by, electrified only by the promise of 72 virgins waiting for them in heaven. I wonder why nobody told them they are not headed in that direction.
But at this point in time, I am more excited about the two teenagers who will be creating history tomorrow. They represent the future of tennis and the future of women which will not be subjugated and tarnished by anybody. Tomorrow, win or lose, the world will be at their feet, and they will become role models for millions of girls and boys of their age. They will become the real heroes–adulated, followed, and loved by millions of people across national borders, unlike the Taliban and their collaborators.