Dubai: Leylah Fernandez: the name has been on the lips of the Filipino community in Dubai. A sizeable crowd turned up to watch her debut in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Tournament. And Fernandez didn’t let them down as she hurried to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Julia Grabher in a first round tie on Sunday.
Fernandez is Canadian, but she has Filipino blood coursing through her veins. Her mother Irene is Filipino-Canadian and her father Jorge hails from Ecuador. That makes the World No. 39 a favourite with the Dubai Tennis Stadium crowd.
Up till now, it [her first trip to Dubai] has been great. And I’m super glad that I am able to come here and play in Dubai, one of the biggest tournaments in the world.
In the post-match interview, the 20-year-old was quick to appreciate the crowd support. “Thank you for turning up and supporting me,” Leylah said to cheers and whistles from the spectators. “I hope you come for the next match too,” she added.
The Canadian produced a compact game to take control of the first set, and wasn’t averse to coming to the net occasionally. With a typical leftie sliced serve, Fernandez carved a 3-0 lead before Austrian Grabher fought back through some powerful groundstrokes. But Fernandez didn’t miss much.
With a win under her belt, Fernandez now faces World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who comes off a triumph in the Qatar Open. But the Canadian is undaunted at the prospect of facing the double Grand Slam winner, and said she’s looking forward to the encounter
“Up till now, it [her first trip to Dubai] has been great. And I’m super glad that I am able to come here and play in Dubai, one of the biggest tournaments in the world. I was able to get my first win, and I get the opportunity to play against the World No.1 It’s a good test to see where my game is at. Hopefully, I can gain some confidence from there,” Fernandez told the media.
Fernandez hit the headlines as a 18-year-old when she reached the US Open final in 2021, before losing to Britain’s Emma Raducanu. Since then, she hasn’t been scaled such heights. But Fernandez is unperturbed.
“There’s been ups and downs. I think that’s part of sports. I am happy that I have had the opportunity to experience [something] that not many players have had. experienced at a young age,” Fernandez said.
You can’t agree more. We will certainly hear more from Fernandez in the future.
