PARIS | Leylah Annie Fernandez might have turn into the primary Quebecer to win a significant skilled title. The 20-year-old should wait as she misplaced within the girls’s doubles last in Roland-Garros on Sunday.
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Alongside American Taylor Townsend, Fernandez began the sport nicely and simply gained the primary set 6-1, however China’s Xinyu Wang and Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh responded with scores of 7-6 (5) and 6-1.
Just one participant from La Belle province has gained a Grand Slam trophy. On the 1999 United States Open, Sébastien Lareau was topped males’s doubles champion together with American Alex O’Brien.
“I wish to thank everybody who got here to cheer us on and watch the ladies’s doubles,” Leylah informed the Paris viewers after the defeat. Thanks to the Canadians, Ecuadorians and Filipinos who have been right here for the finals.”
Leylah’s father, who speaks French, English and Spanish, is from Ecuador whereas her mom is of Filipino descent.
“Due to Leylah, that is our first Grand Slam collectively, so it’s not that embarrassing,” Townsend mentioned.
Little Adyn’s mom, 2, can also be aiming for her first main triumph among the many professionals.
Picture: AFP
Taylor Townsend and Leylah Annie Fernandez pose after dropping the ladies’s doubles last in Paris on Sunday.
Second Grand Slam Remaining
Born in Montreal but additionally raised in Laval and Vaudreuil-Dorion, Fernandez reached the singles last in New York two years in the past. Tennis followers additionally keep in mind that Eugenie Bouchard was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2014.
The left-handed duo had triumphed on the juniors, Fernandez in Paris in 2019 and Townsend in Australia in 2012.
The forty ninth singles participant on the earth subsequently failed to avoid wasting Canada’s honor after defeating Bianca Andreescu in Thursday’s combined doubles last and her compatriot Robert Shaw on Saturday within the last match in quad wheelchair doubles.
Promising begin
Fernandez and Townsend rapidly took management of the duel on the Philippe Chatrier courtroom after letting their opponents win their first sport on serve. Every thing went nicely for the tenth favourite of the competitors, regardless of the moist climate that hit the French capital.
The terrifying sport performed by the Chicago native performed an vital position on this. She was highly effective and rapidly tailored to the double’s unexpected occasions. And the communication between the 2 athletes was good. The spectators anticipated the “Du!”, “Come on!”, “Yé!”.
However the tide turned when the eventual winner within the center set introduced a a lot better opponent, though Fernandez discovered his approach. She additionally gained her three service video games.
Nevertheless, Wang and Hsieh continued their momentum and the Canadian-American duo have been out of rivalry within the finals.
“Congratulations to the women for his or her stunning journey. I hope we will play extra finals,” mentioned Wang, who misplaced 6-0, 6-0 within the third singles spherical to singles champion Iga Swiatek.
“It was a really troublesome sport. Lastly we’re excited. Subsequent time we’ll see who wins,” Hsieh mentioned.
Townsend (after qualifying) and Fernandez have been capable of concentrate on doubles after dropping the primary and second rounds in singles respectively.
They talked about this week that they’d nonetheless get to know one another. In March, they started forming a workforce in Indian Wells. The 27-year-old American even admitted that she didn’t know who Leylah was earlier than this event.
Fernandez and Townsend then reached the finals in Miami, the quarterfinals in Charleston and the semifinals in Madrid.