Leylah Fernandez recently showcased her versatility in another sport aside from tennis. Fernandez was captured on camera trying out some keepy-uppies on the court during a practice session at the Qatar Total Energies Open.
She also secured a victory in her first round tie by defeating World No.15 Liudmila Samsonova 7-5, 7-6(4) on Monday.
Fernandez has won three WTA titles during the course of her career, with her first WTA victory coming at the 2021 Monterrey Open. She also reached the final of the 2021 US Open, where she was defeated by Britain's Emma Raducanu.
On Monday, before the match, the WTA official handle posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), featuring the Canadian star showcasing her football skills, trying out rounds of keepy-uppies on the tennis court during a practice session.
Leylah Fernandez is participating in her third tournament of the 2024 season. She began the season by representing Canada at the United Cup alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime, Steven Diez, Stacey Fung and captain Adil Shamasdin. This was Canada's first appearance at the tournament and they did not qualify for the knockout stage.
Fernandez also competed at the Australian Open, beating Sara Bejlek in the first round. However, she was eliminated in the second round by Alycia Parks in straight sets.
Leylah Fernandez is set to face Paula Badosa in the second round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open
After defeating 25-year-old Liudmila Samsonova in the first round on Monday, Leylah Fernandez is set to face Paula Badosa in the second round of the 2024 Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Tuesday.
Leylah Fernandez's win-loss record for the season so far stands at 3-2 after representing Canada in the United Cup and participating in the 2024 Australian Open.
Badosa, meanwhile, started her season at the Adelaide International but was eliminated in the first round by Bernarda Pera. She then competed at the Australian Open, securing victories against Taylor Townsend and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first and second rounds. However, the Spaniard was knocked out in the third round by Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
Badosa also participated in the Hua Hin Championships. In the first round, she won against Lanlana Tararudee but gave her opponent Diana Shnaider a walkover in the second round after sustaining an injury.
The head-to-head record between Fernandez and Badosa stands at 3-0 in favor of the latter. Their most recent encounter was in the round of 32 at the Charleston Open, where the Spaniard won in straight sets.