Leylah Fernandez is a Canadian professional tennis player. As of September 30, 2021, her career high ranking is 28, which she achieved on September 13, 2021. At the 2021 Monterey Open, she won her first WTA title. During the 2021 US open, she finished as a runner-up to Emma Raducanu. On the way to the finals, Leylah managed to best top-seeded players including Naomi Osaka. Leylah also participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she made it to the second round.
Fernandez was born Leylah Annie Fernandez on September 6, 2002. Born to parents Irene and Jorge, she has a younger sister who plays tennis. Jorge Fernandez coaches his daughter. He was a forcer football player from Ecuador. Her mother Irene is Filipino Canadian. Leylah started playing tennis at a young age. She grew up a football fan, especially Spanish and English football. She is a supporter of Real Madrid and Manchester City.
In 2019, Leylah began debuted on the grand slam stage when she made it to the finals of the Australian Open girls’ singles. There she lost to Clara Tauson. In June of the same year, she attended the French Open girl’s singles where she faced and won against Emma Navarro. This made her the first Canadian female player to have won a junior Grand Slam event since Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard won at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships.
She turned pro in July of 2019 when she debuted at the Gatineau Challenger. At the same event, she won a doubles title when she paired up with Rebecca Marino. In 2020, she made her Grand Slam debut when she played at the Australian Open, she made it through the qualifiers before eventually losing to Lauren Davis. A week later, she won against Belinda Bencic at the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying rounds.
2021 was a great year for Fernandez even though she began the year without consecutive wins. But in the Monterey Cup in March, she reached the final to defeat Viktorija Golubic and win her first WTA Title. She was the youngest player at the main draw. She was just 18 years old. She would go on to become a fan favorite at the US Open. Her following increased when she bested Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, and Elina Svitolina. In the finals, she lost to British tennis player and fellow teen, Emma Raducanu.
Professional Career Highlights and Awards
Singles:
- Career record - 104–64 (61.9%)
- Career titles - 1 WTA, 1 ITF
Grand Slam Singles results:
- Australian Open - 1R (2020, 2021)
- French Open - 3R (2020)
- Wimbledon - 1R (2021)
- US Open - F (2021)
Other tournaments:
- Olympic Games - 2R (2021)
Doubles:
- Career record - 30–24 (55.6%)
- Career titles - 2 ITF
Grand Slam Doubles results:
- Australian Open - 3R (2021)
- French Open - 3R (2021)
- Wimbledon - 1R (2021)
- US Open - 3R (2021)
Team competitions:
- BJK Cup QR (2020), record 3–2
