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Leylah Fernandez demonstrated remarkable resilience during the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup semifinals, for which she has received unbridled praise from the tennis universe. The 21-year-old won both her singles and doubles matches against the Czech Republic to guide Canada into their first-ever final at the women's international team competition.
Fernandez, placed 35th in the WTA rankings, fought off reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova's challenge, winning the second singles match of the tie 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 on Saturday (November 11).
Earlier during the day, former World No. 2 Barbora Krejčíková had given the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead after beating Canada's Marina Stakusic for the loss of only three games. Although Vondrousova was the firm favorite to put 11-time BJK Cup winners Czech Republic in the summit clash, Fernandez played some of her best tennis in 2023 to upset the World No. 7.
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She then had enough in her tank to win the decisive doubles match partnering Gabriela Dabrowski; the duo wasn't broken even once against the seven-time Major-winning team of Krejčíková and Katerina Siniakova, registering a 7-5, 7-6(3) victory to send Canada through to the final.
Leylah Fernandez's performances during the Billie Jean Cup semifinals earned rich praise from the tennis community on social media. Tennis Podcast, one of the most renowned analysts of the sport, was overawed by the 21-year-old and wrote:
"That is one of the all-time great BJK Cup performances by Leylah Fernandez to follow victory over Vondrousova in singles with a doubles win over Krejcikova and Siniakova. Pam Shriver was right. When she’s on, with stakes and a crowd, she’s one of the best shows in tennis."
Vansh, a tennis journalist on X (formerly Twitter), pointed out how Leylah Fernandez's BJK Cup victory was her first top-10 win since the US Open 2021 — where she had reached the championship match.
"Incredible 3 set victory for Leylah Fernandez in a big spot over the Wimbledon champion. Remains electric to watch. That’s her 1st Top 10 win since that 2021 US Open semifinal vs Sabalenka. This hopefully sets up a big 2024 for the Canadian," he wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from social media:
Leylah Fernandez had previously failed to back up her US Open 2021 final run
Leylah Fernandez played the best tournament of her life in New York two years ago. Ranked 73rd at the beginning of the week, the young Canadian scored three-set wins over Major champions like Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Aryna Sabalenka to reach the championship match of a Major for the first time.
Even though she was denied by fellow first-time finalist Emma Raducanu in the final, Fernandez was expected to use the runner-up finish as a springboard for her career. She has, however, had disappointing results since then, losing before the third round of a Grand Slam tournament in her last seven appearances.
The Canadian did, however, reach the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last year. The former US Open finalist has shown time and again how much talent she has. If she becomes a bit more consistent in the future, then she could become a dangerous player in the top-most rungs of the WTA tour.
