Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez will advance to the US Open women’s final after a three-set win over World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, making her the youngest semi-finalist since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
The 19-year-old from Laval Que., Rallied from a 4-1 opening deficit in the first set to narrowly defeat Sabalenka 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4, securing her first chance in a Grand Slam Title.
Canadians and fans alike have expressed their excitement on social media for Fernandez’s surprising rise, especially considering she had to surpass tennis stars Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Elina Svitolina first to reach the semifinals.
Here’s what they say about Fernández’s victory:
Twitter user Sean42McCallum wrote about how this game led his family to watch tennis for the first time together:
“My family has never sat down to watch tennis together. Tonight, we sat and watched tennis together. “
Former NBA player Magic Johnson praised Fernández a couple of days ago saying, “If you haven’t seen the most exciting player at the US Open, 19-year-old Leylah Fernández, you are really missing it! She just beat her opponent in third place and she’s on fire … She’s taking the world by storm! @leylahfernandez “.
It’s fair to say that his enthusiasm hasn’t waned after last night’s game:
Many Canadian fans on Twitter were also having a hard time deciding whether to watch the final moments of Fernandez’s party or the federal leaders’ election debate in English.
Needless to say, it was a unanimous decision for many to see the first one:
With files from James McCarten The Canadian Press
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