"Dad gave her the green light": Leylah Fernandez proud of sister Bianca for leading them to Canadian Open doubles QF after own "horrible" singles exit
Leylah Fernandez reflected on her chances in the doubles competition at the Canadian Open while expressing pride in her sister, Bianca, for leading them to the quarterfinals. This comes after her second-round exit from the singles competition, losing to the USA's Ashlyn Krueger.
Fernandez tried to put up a fight in the first set against Krueger but eventually lost 6-4. The American carried the momentum into the second set, easily winning 6-2 and eliminating the 2021 US Open finalist from the tournament.
The 21-year-old expressed her feelings after the match, sharing that she was angry at herself and was not sure about how to retain focus for her next challenge:
"Yesterday’s singles loss felt horrible. I am very disappointed with how I played and left the court angry at myself. I didn’t know how I was going to put myself together and compete again in doubles," Leylah Fernandez wrote on Instagram.
Fernandez credited her sister, Bianca Jolie, for stepping up and leading the sisters' team to the quarterfinals after. They defeated the American duo of Catherine Harrison and Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 in the second round to secure a place in the last eight.
The World No. 25 plans to channel her "sour feelings" from the singles competition:
"The truth is, my sister @biancajolietennis stepped it up for us. Our dad and coach gave her the green light to take the lead, and she did. I am so proud of her. That win was all her. Now we’re in the doubles quarters. Let’s take that sour feeling and channel it into doubles. Let’s keep going."
Bianca and Leylah Fernandez exchanged a unique handshake with their father after doubles 1R win at the Canadian Open
Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Fernandez started their doubles campaign at the Canadian Open with an impressive win over Luisa Stefani and Demi Schuur 6-2, 6-4 in the first round. After their triumph, the sisters shared a warm embrace and celebrated with a unique handshake with their father Jorge.
Watch the clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) below:
The sisters have been teaming up on the professional circuit since 2022. Leylah has recently shared her thoughts on being able to share the court with her sister:
"I want to thank the NBO and Tennis Canada for giving my sister and I the opportunity to play together once again," the 21-year-old said in her pre-tournament press conference.
Leylah and Bianca will face the team of Zhang Shuai and Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event.