Laila Fernandez celebrates victory.
Picture: dpa
The Canadian defeated Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus in the semifinals in New York. This is a dream come true for teenage girls. Behind it is “years of hard work, tears and blood”.
DThe 19-year-old tennis player Laila Fernandez was completely unexpected in the US Open final.Canadians who participated in the previous rounds Angelique Kerber Naomi Osaka won, defeating the world’s second-ranked Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 7:6 (7:3), 4:6, and 6:4 in the semifinals on Thursday (local time). .
In the final on Saturday, Fernandez will meet the 18-year-old Briton Emma Radukanu or Maria Sakari from Greece. “It’s years, years, years of hard work, tears, blood and everything. I really want to make it to the final,” Fernandez said. “I am very happy that I made it to the final.”
The teenager was under pressure early in the entertainment game in New York. He lost 12 points in the first 14 points and was already behind 3-0 after 8 minutes. But after this tense start, she improved and won the first set in the tiebreaker. The second-placed Sabalenka broke 5-4 in the second set and forced the decisive third set. There, the young Canadian continued to please the audience with her lively game and got a break at 4:2. Sabalenka immediately countered. Fernandez did not feel uneasy about this-and later entered the final with the ball in the first game.
