Leylah Annie Fernandez now has two professional tennis championship titles with her recent win at the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico.
The 19-year-old Canadian tennis star of Filipino and Ecuadorian descent won her first pro tennis title also at Monterrey in 2021 and successfully defended her title against Camila Osorio of Colombia on March 7, 2022.
World No.21 Fernandez outlasted her opponent in a nearly three-hour thriller that saw the rising pro tennis star of Canada coming back from near defeat and finally overcoming the 20-year-old Colombian champion 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) in the Monterrey finals.
“Today it was a very, very tough match, not only physically or tennis-wise, but mentally,” Fernandez was quoted saying in the Women’s Tennis Association report of her win.
“I’m very, very happy to have gone through these hard moments, and have fought, found solutions. And Camila, I hope we have many, many more finals like this, because without her, I don’t think this tournament, this final, would be [as] special,” the Fil-Canadian star added.
✨ Magic in Monterrey ✨
🇨🇦 @leylahfernandez secures the @Abierto_GNP title for the 2⃣nd time after a tough test from Osorio, 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3)! pic.twitter.com/UctyQlzKXz
— wta (@WTA) March 7, 2022
On the way to claim her second pro championship title, Leylah Annie Fernandez defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil in the semifinals (6-1, 6-4), Qiang Wang of China in the quarterfinals (7-6, 6-4), Qinwen Zheng of China in the Round of 16 (6-1, 4-6, 7-6), and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of the Slovak Republic in the Round of 32 (6-2, 6-2).
Fernandez rose to international prominence after her magical run at the United States Open where she finished in 2nd place after her shocker besting of top seeds and tennis stars including defending U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka.
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