Leila Fernandez fought a tough battle that deserved her best win at the US Open to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells. A performance that earned him acclaim from the tennis world.
• Read also: The hero has already been eliminated
“Right now, Laila Fernandez is the best show in tennis, in my opinion,” American 21st WTA title holder and ESPN analyst Pam Shriver tweeted, hours after Quebec eliminated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
To win 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 41 minutes against the ninth candidate, Sunday-Monday, Quebec time, Fernandez used the recipe that served him so well in New York, last month.
I stuck. By her own admission, she didn’t make her best game, but she did play creative tennis fearlessly.
And she didn’t shake when the moment was right. As proof: This ace, only his second in the game, succeeded mid-match at match point.
“I’m an introvert and love puzzles, Rubik’s cubes and Sudoku puzzles. I love solving problems. Tonight [lundi], was a problem to be solved, pictured by Laila, at a press conference. I’m glad I got out of it. “
worst blow
19-year-old Laval woman, 23 years oldNS Seeded in the California desert, unforced errors doubled in the first round, won by the 11-year-old Russian, who is older on her second serve attempt.
Faced with such an erratic performance, Fernandez opted to return to base in the next round. That is, just trying to put the ball into play.
“I didn’t mind hitting the worst shot in the world,” said the young player. I just wanted to play ball. That’s what I did, and then [Pavlyuchenkova] I started making more mistakes. “
Confused by this change of strategy, the Russian, who also reached this year’s Grand Slam final (at Roland Garros), has never been the same.
different crowd?
Quebec’s performance wasn’t just about conquering Pam Shriver. She also stirred up the crowd who cheered her heartily, as had been the case for two weeks in New York.
But Fernandes is unlikely to benefit from such support in his next game on Tuesday.
28th in the world will face a homegrown nominee, American Shelby Rogers, 28, 44NS racket on WTA. This led to the liquidation of Romanian Irina Camelia Peugeot (61 .).NS) 6-0 and 6-2 in the previous round.
Swiss Belinda Bencic, 10NS seeded, she was her potential opponent in the round of 16, but the reigning Olympic champion lost before her first encounter with a knee injury.
This match against Rogers is going to look like revenge for the night. The American had beaten her 6-2, 7-5 at the tournament in Lexington, Kentucky, in August 2020.
“It was a good match,” Fernandez recalls. I learned a lot from this defeat. I expect another fight. “
Felix comes out
If Fernandez completed where she left off at the US Open, that was not the case with compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows.
After losing in San Diego two weeks ago, injuring his leg, Quebec lost in the second round at Indian Wells.
This was his first encounter in this tournament, after he had benefited from a pass for the first round.
The competition’s seventh favorite, the 21-year-old never found his ways against Spaniard Albert Ramos Vignola, 48NS, who knocked him out 6-4 6-2 in one hour and 16 minutes of play on Sunday.
