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Leylah Annie Fernandez is a Canadian professional tennis player born in Montreal, Quebec, to an Ecuadorian father and a Filipino-Canadian mother.
Fernandez started playing tennis at the age of five and began competing at ten years old.
In 2019, Fernandez reached the junior final at the Australian Open and won the Junior French Open title, becoming the first Canadian woman to win a junior Grand Slam since 2012.
Fernandez made her WTA main draw debut at the 2018 Tournoi de Quebec, where she defeated fellow Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski in her opening match but lost to Britain's Heather Watson in the second round.
In 2020, Fernandez had a breakout year, cracking the Top 100 for the first time and reaching the third round at Roland Garros. She also made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open as a qualifier.
Fernandez has won three WTA Tour titles: the Monterrey Open in 2021, the Monterrey Open again in 2022, and the Hong Kong Open in 2023. She also reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2021 US Open.
At the 2021 US Open, Fernandez caused a sensation by beating defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round. She then went on to defeat former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber and fifth seed Elina Svitolina before losing to Emma Raducanu in the final.
In 2023, Fernandez led Canada to a historic win at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, earning her first major womens international team tennis title. She was named the Heart Award recipient as the Finals MVP.
Fernandezs best surface is hardcourts, where she has achieved most of her notable wins.