It only took 89 minutes and the better part of her first 18 years, but Leylah Annie Fernandez, of Laval Quebec, won her first professional tennis tournament on Sunday.
It happened in Monterrey:
A straight set 6-1, 6-4 victory over Swiss qualifier Viktorija Golubic at the WTA 250 event.
WATCH | Fernandez wins Monterrey Open in straight sets:
The victory moved Fernandez up 16 places in the WTA rankings--from No. 88 to No. 72.
“I didn’t think it was a final or anything. I just tried to think of it as another match,” Fernandez said afterwards.
Fernandez lost her only other tournament final appearance, falling to Great Britain’s Heather Watson last year in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel tournament in Acapulco.
Fernandez said she used the emotions she felt from last year’s loss as fuel for Sunday’s win.
“It definitely helped today,” she said.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was all smiles during a news conference at the Odlum Brown VanOpen tennis tournament, in West Vancouver, B.C., on August 12, 2019 after she upset 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round of the Top Seed Open. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
Now that she ranks second in Canada to Bianca Andreescu, who continues to contend with injuries, where does Fernandez go from here?
Long-term: that’s up for grabs.
Short term: she was due in Miami today to play a qualifying match against Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu this afternoon.
“We’re just taking this one hour at a time,” Fernandez said.
As well, Andreescu, who–according to Stephanie Myles of Open Court.ca and Essentially Sports–has a new fitness coach, is set to make her return from her latest setbacks in Miami.
With files from The Canadian Press
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