Leylah Fernandez and her mother, Irene, found a special way to celebrate their Filipina roots, proudly embracing their heritage at the Canadian Open. Fernandez is making strides in Montreal, reaching the Round of 16 after defeating French Open champion Mirra Andreeva.
Amid her run, the Canadian tennis player and her mother were seen celebrating their roots with the latter posing for a picture with a friend wearing a Filipino jacket. Fernandez shared the picture on her Instagram story and added emojis of the national flag and a heart.
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A few days earlier, Fernandez’s mother, who is of Filipino-Canadian nationality, was seen supporting Filipino tennis player Alex Eala during her first round against Alycia Parks. Eala won the saw off the American with a stunning 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory.
In the press conference after her first-round win against Renata Zarazua, Fernandez also reflected on her growing friendship with Eala, stating:
“Yeah, she’s a friend. I mean, she’s a nice girl. Unfortunately, I don’t have her number.”
Eala has now reached the Round of 16 at the Canadian Open after her win over Caty McNally with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 lead. This marked her seventh consecutive victory in a row, the longest winning streak of her career.
Leylah Fernandez reflects on her win against Mirra Andreeva
Leylah Fernandez advanced to the Round of 16 after seeing off Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4. According to Tennis World USA, she was able to dominate the French Open champion by staying patient even when the rallies became long.
“There have been times where I just want to finish the point quickly, and in that moment I was like, no, trust in my abilities, trust in my fitness. I know I can endure long rallies, long matches. So if it’s going to take a hundred balls to hit to put it in to break her down, then so be it,” Fernandez said.
“It wasn’t going to be straightforward. I think for me it was just to keep believing in myself in that moment. And to look at my box, look at my team, and use their energy as motivation to keep going, that I am doing a good job, and it’s just a matter of keep believing it and executing.”
Leylah Fernandez will face Japanese ace Naomi Osaka in the next round.
Edited by Janhavi Shinde