Move over, Bianca Andreescu — there's another Canadian woman dominating the WTA Tour.
Leylah Annie Fernandez, fresh off an impressive run to the final of last week's Abierto Mexicano (Mexican Open), advanced to the quarterfinals of the Monterrey Open on Wednesday with a come-from-behind win over American Sloane Stephens 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3.
The 17-year-old struggled in the first set, double faulting three times and winning only 60 percent of the points on her first serve. She had a chance to win the set in the 12th game but could not close it out, and then she lost in the tiebreak.
A well executed point from @leylahfernandez 🙌#AbiertoGNPSeguros pic.twitter.com/zzInxoBudn
— WTA (@WTA) March 5, 2020
Fernandez, however, showed poise and grit well beyond her years as she turned things around mightily in the second set. She won 92.3 percent first service points and broke Stephens twice — to go up 4-3 and to win the set — as she captured four consecutive games to level the match.
In the third and final set, the Laval, Que., native jumped out to a 4-1 lead before closing the match. Overall, she got 69 percent of her first serves in, won 73.3 percent of her first serve points and dominated second serve points won (70.4 percent to Stephens' 43.3).
We are going the distance tonight 🌟@leylahfernandez takes the second set, 6-3!#AbiertoGNPSeguros pic.twitter.com/Dj0SZ41Lw3
— WTA (@WTA) March 5, 2020
It's an impressive win considering Stephens, now ranked 37th in the world, was the 2017 U.S. Open champion and was once ranked as high as third in the world. Fernandez will now face the winner of the match between world No. 7 Elina Svitolina and Olga Govortsova.