It wasn’t long into Leylah Annie Fernandez’s career until she was already battling for a title on one of tennis’ biggest stages.
Fernandez made her mark on the WTA Tour as a teenager and went from underdog to contender within just a few years of her professional debut, highlighted by a remarkable run to a US Open final.
2019
From the juniors to the professional level within a year, the first half of Fernandez’s 2019 was highlighted by her junior Grand Slam success. At 16 years old, she reached back-to-back singles finals at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, hoisting the trophy in Paris to become the junior world No. 1.
By July, Fernandez was succeeding at professional events, winning both the singles and doubles titles at the Gatineau Challenger. The Lavalloise made it back-to-back ITF finals in Granby but came up short of the title.
2020
Fernandez carried that momentum into her first full year on the WTA Tour in 2020. The Canadian qualified for the Australian Open for her first Grand Slam main draw.
Following that, Fernandez started to score bigger results on tour. The 17-year-old earned her first Top 5 win against world No. 5 Belinda Bencic at the Billie Jean King Cup in February. Just a few weeks later, Fernandez had a memorable trip to Mexico, reaching her first WTA final as a qualifier in Acapulco.
Then, back where she secured junior silverware, Fernandez scored her maiden Grand Slam main-draw win at Roland-Garros, stunning No. 31 seed Magda Linette en route to the third round.
2021-2022
Fernandez made more memories in Mexico in 2021. As the youngest player in the Monterrey main draw, the 18-year-old hoisted her first WTA trophy, winning the title without dropping a set.
Months after her triumph, Fernandez’s next trip to a final would be the biggest one of her career so far. At the US Open, the Canadian took down three of the top-five seeds, including No. 3 seed and defending champion Naomi Osaka and second seed Aryna Sabalenka, as part of an impressive path to the final. The 19-year-old battled fellow teenager Emma Raducanu for the title but was unable to complete the incredible run.
In 2022, Fernandez’s Mexico love story continued as she saved five championship points in the Monterrey final to successfully defend her title.
Later in the year at the National Bank Open, Fernandez entered her home tournament with a career-high ranking of 13, becoming the highest-ranked Canadian women in singles since former world No. 4 Bianca Andreescu in 2019.
2023-2024
Over the next few years, Fernandez began to make her mark in doubles. Alongside American Taylor Townsend in 2023, the Lavalloise reached the final in Miami then made her first major doubles final at Roland-Garros to crack the Top 20 in the doubles rankings.
That same year, Fernandez led her country to history at the Billie Jean King Cup. In Canada’s semifinal tie against Czechia, the 20-year-old defeated world No. 7 Marketa Vondrousova in singles and won the decisive doubles match with Gabriela Dabrowski to complete the comeback over the Czechs and reach the final.
Canada faced Italy for the title and it was Fernandez who clinched her country’s first-ever Billie Jean King Cup triumph with a straight-set win over Jasmine Paolini, going undefeated in the event, qualifying and finals combined.
In 2024, Fernandez was back in a WTA 1000 doubles final, teaming up with Kazakhstani Yulia Putintseva in Cincinnati, but the pair came up short.
2025
Fernandez continued to unlock milestones in 2025. The Canadian earned the biggest title of her career so far, winning her first WTA 500 title in Washington in July. She surpassed Andreescu for most titles by a Canadian woman in the Open Era with four. In October, Fernandez added a fifth championship to her resume in Osaka.
Read also: Fernandez Hoists Second Trophy of the Year in Osaka
Just six years into her professional career, Fernandez still has plenty of tennis left ahead of her, with a maiden WTA 1000 or Grand Slam title next in her sights.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
