Huge congratulations to 19 year-old Fil-Canadian tennis player, Leylah Fernandez on her Monterrey Open win. The defending champ of the Abierto GNP Seguros title saved 5 championship points by defeating Columbia's Camila Osorio 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3). The 3-set match between both singles players took 2 hours and 52 minutes. Leylah needed all the energy she could get and the crowd was definitely into the match.
Although this is the first time Leylah and Camila faced off professionally, they've matched up frequently during juniors including 3 times in junior Grand Slam events. With this win, Leylah is ranked No. 21 in the world and now 2-2 in tour-level events. This marks her second WTA title which was a hard fought battle.
Cover Photo Credit: Leylah Fernandez Twitter
Love, set, and it's a match for Leylah Fernandez. She just announced that she'll be Lululemon's newest brand ambassador. The Grand Slam finalist won't just be serving her game on the court, but Leylah's ready to serve looks in Lululemon gear off the court too.
Lululemon is know for its yoga and athleisure style, but with this new partnership it looks like the they're setting their eyes on adding tennis apparel to their roster. Leylah joins other athletes like fellow Filipino Jordan Clarkson, NHL players, and members of Team Canada. Michelle Davies, Lululemon VP of Global Sports Marketing and Partnerships relays that it's quality over quantity when it comes to sponsorships:
"We want to go deep and intentional with athletes we have shared values and can truly create with...It is really about our shared values and who she [Fernandez] is, the timing of the stars did align for us."
Leylah is looking forward to helping in the creative process in building the brand's new tennis collection. She'll start sporting the specific collection after its launch in spring, and not to mention that it'll also include footwear. According to Forbes, for the Australian Open Leylah will be wearing Lululemon's core products.
She's already wearing her Lulu's 24/7 and prefers a simple skirt and tank top for her day in the office. Leylah expresses how important comfort is as it allows her to focus on tennis.
"I'm a very colorful person, I love all types of colors. My only problem is I don't know how to match colors together so the Lululemon team can help me with that. We know both of us like to be explosive, different and both of us are going to be working together."
It's huge move for Leylah and Lululemon and we can't wait to see what they come up with together.
Cover Photo Credit: Leylah Fernandez Twitter
Fil-Canadian and Ecuadorian Leylah Annie Fernandez has everyone cheering for her at the U.S. Open. She aces a spot in the U.S. Open Finals after defeating world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the semis. It'll be a battle of the teens in the U.S. Open Finals as Leylah will meet 18-year-old Emma Raducanu of Great Britain on the court. The Bromley-based teen who's also of Asian decent was born in Toronto, Canada but moved to England at 2-years-old. It'll be the first time in more than 20 years that two teens will meet for an all-teen major final.
The Fil-Canadian tennis player first made headlines when upsetting the current U.S. Open champ and No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka in the third round of the tournament. Then in the recent quarterfinal, she defeated 5th seed Elina Svitolina the day after her 19th birthday. According to Bleacher Report, Leylah became the second youngest tennis player to defeat a top five seed twice at a Major since Serena Williams in 1999. She also is the youngest woman to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
Leylah is crawling up the history board and in the spotlight on one of the biggest stages. It's definitely been a cinderella run for her in this year's U.S. Open that so many other athletes have been showing their love for Leylah and her game from NBA players, fellow tennis players, and she even caught the attention of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Leylah is now inspiring Filipinos to take interest in tennis. "I'm so happy to hear that everyone in the Philippines is cheering for me and supporting me. So thank you." She also added that she looks forward to eating her "lolo's" (grandfather's) Filipino cooking when she returns.
"I'm just having fun, I'm trying to produce something for the crowd to enjoy. I'm glad that whatever I'm doing on court, the fans are loving it and I'm loving it, too. We'll say it's magical."
LEYLAH ANNIE FERNANDEZ DURING POST-MATCH CONFERENCE
She is the daughter of an Ecuadorian father and Filipino-Canadian mother and besides being a tennis player, she has a couple more talents up her sleeve. Leylah speaks fluently in English, French, and Spanish. We hope she adds Filipino to that list. But sports sort of run in her family. Her father Jorge was a former pro soccer player who played across South America while her younger sister Bianca Jolie is also a tennis player. Her dad has been a source of inspiration and he's been coaching her since she was 6 years old. Before her quarterfinal match, her dad gave some advice. "Today he told me to go out there, have fun, fight for every ball, fight for every point. 'Today's your first quarterfinals, don't make it your last. Don't make it your last match over here. Fight for your dream.' "
The last stop to Leylah's U.S. Open dream run is now the finals! Check out the preview of the final match happening on September 11th!
Cover Photo Credit: US Open Tennis Facebook
