WASHINGTON — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez has made waves by reaching her first semifinal of the season, triumphing over American qualifier and former doubles partner Taylor Townsend with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Friday at the Citi Open hardcourt tennis tournament.
With a fierce return game, Fernandez created 23 break-point opportunities, successfully converting five of them against Townsend.
Despite this, Fernandez finished just a single break ahead, defending only three of the seven break-point chances that came her way.
The 22-year-old from Laval, Quebec, previously advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating top seed Jessica Pegula on Thursday. She faced some cramping issues in the second set but managed to secure the tiebreak and the match.
Next up, Fernandez will take on the winner of a Friday match between third-seed Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan and fifth-seed Magdalena Frech from Poland.
The rising star is gaining momentum just in time for the women’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers, which begins Sunday in Montreal.
Fernandez now joins Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the semifinals in Washington. This marks their first meeting in a tournament’s final four since Raducanu’s straight-sets victory in the final of the 2021 U.S. Open.
During the 2023 season, Fernandez and Townsend enjoyed success as a doubles pair, reaching the finals of prestigious events like the French Open and WTA 1000 Miami Open, as well as the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.
