Leylah Fernandez – Canadian Left-Hander, WTA Breakthrough and Hard-Court Threat

At 18 years old, Leylah Fernandez walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium as an unseeded qualifier and defeated three top-five players in a row to reach the 2021 US Open final. Nobody saw it coming. Everyone remembered it forever.

That run announced Fernandez to the world in the most dramatic way possible. Not as a future star. As a present one. A left-handed Canadian from Montreal with fearless shot-making, lightning footwork, and a competitive mentality that made her dangerous against anyone on any given day.

She is still only in her early twenties. The biggest chapters of her career are still being written. And every summer when the Canadian Open comes to Toronto or Montreal, Fernandez arrives as one of the most eagerly anticipated names on the home crowd’s list.

Quick Facts:

Leylah Fernandez at the Canadian Open

For Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian Open is not just a tournament on the schedule. It is the event where she competes in front of the city that raised her, in front of fans who watched her grow from a junior prospect into one of Canada’s most exciting professional players.

Born in Montreal, Fernandez carries a deep connection to this tournament that goes beyond results and rankings. The Canadian Open crowd responds to her with an intensity that reflects exactly how much her journey means to them. Every point she wins draws a roar that players from other countries simply do not get to experience at this event.

What makes Fernandez particularly interesting at the Canadian Open:

• Her left-handed game creates unusual angles and spin patterns that opponents practicing against right-handers rarely face in training
• Her aggressive return of serve puts pressure on opponents from the very first shot of every rally
• Her fearless approach to big matches means she raises her level when the atmosphere is at its loudest
• The home crowd energy in Toronto and Montreal brings out the best in her competitive instincts

While her singles results at the Canadian Open have not yet matched the heights she reached at the 2021 US Open, Fernandez has shown glimpses of what she is capable of on Canadian hard courts. She reached the doubles semifinals at the Canadian Open alongside her sister Bianca, a moment that captured the hearts of the home crowd in a unique way.

Canadian Open Results

Leylah Fernandez has competed at the Canadian Open across several editions of the tournament, building experience at her home event while continuing to develop her game on the WTA tour.

Key observations from her Canadian Open record:

• Fernandez made her Canadian Open main draw debut in 2019 as a teenager, her first professional appearance at her home tournament
• Her 2023 Canadian Open appearance included a memorable doubles run alongside her younger sister Bianca, reaching the semifinals before losing to Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe
• Her singles results at the Canadian Open have not yet reflected the level she has shown at other hard court events
• Each appearance has added experience and crowd connection that continues to build her relationship with the home fans
• The Canadian Open remains one of the tournaments where her growth as a player is most closely followed by Canadian tennis supporters

Best Canadian Open Performances

While Fernandez is still building her Canadian Open singles record, two moments at this tournament stand out as particularly meaningful chapters in her home tournament story.

2023 Toronto – Doubles Semifinal with Sister Bianca:

The most talked about Canadian Open moment of Fernandez’s career so far had nothing to do with her singles draw. Teaming up with her younger sister Bianca in the women’s doubles, the two Fernandez sisters reached the semifinals at their home tournament before losing to Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe.

Watching two sisters from Montreal compete together at the Canadian Open in front of a crowd that knew exactly who they were and what they represented was one of the most genuinely warm moments the tournament has produced in recent years. The crowd embraced every point they played together with a level of emotion that went well beyond typical tennis appreciation.

2019 Toronto – First Main Draw Appearance:

Making her Canadian Open main draw debut as a 16 year old in 2019 was itself a significant milestone for Fernandez. Competing at her home Masters 1000 event as a teenager set the foundation for everything that has followed and gave Canadian tennis fans their first proper look at a player who would reach a Grand Slam final just two years later.

Career Canadian Open performance summary:

Titles and Records

Leylah Fernandez has built a career record that already places her among the most successful Canadian women in tennis history, and she is still only in the early stages of what promises to be a long professional career.

Career title breakdown:

Key career records and milestones:

• Reached the 2021 US Open final at just 18 years old, defeating three top-five players including defending champion Naomi Osaka along the way
• Won her first WTA 500 title at Washington DC in 2025, the biggest title of her career to that point
• Surpassed Bianca Andreescu for the most WTA singles titles by a Canadian woman in the Open Era with her fifth title in Osaka in 2025
• Reached a career high ranking of world No. 13 in August 2022
• Won the Billie Jean King Cup with Canada in 2023, winning the decisive rubber in the final against Italy and earning the Heart Award as tournament MVP
• Won the French Open junior title in 2019 at age 16, signalling her potential before she had even established herself on the professional tour
• All five career WTA singles titles have come on hard courts, reflecting her natural affinity for the surface

Latest Canadian Open Appearances

Leylah Fernandez continues to be one of the most anticipated names on the Canadian Open entry list every summer. As an active player still in the early stages of her career, her Canadian Open story is very much still being written.

Her most recent Canadian Open appearances have seen her compete in both singles and doubles, building experience at the tournament while continuing to develop the consistency that her talent has always promised.

Recent Canadian Open appearances:

Unlike retired legends whose Canadian Open stories are complete, Fernandez arrives at this tournament each summer with the very real possibility of producing a breakthrough singles result that matches what the home crowd has always believed she is capable of delivering.

Her left-handed game, aggressive return, and fearless big match mentality are exactly the qualities that can produce deep runs at Masters 1000 events. The Canadian Open crowd has been waiting patiently for the week when all of those qualities come together at the right moment on home soil.

Given where she is in her career, that week feels closer than ever.

For a complete look at all Canadian players competing at the Canadian Open, explore our full Canadian Open players guide.

Conclusion

Leylah Fernandez is still writing her story. At 23 years old, with five WTA titles, a US Open final, a Billie Jean King Cup championship, and the record for most WTA titles by a Canadian woman in the Open Era, she has already achieved more than most players manage in an entire career.

But the Canadian Open remains the tournament where her potential feels most electric and most personal. Every summer when the National Bank Open returns to Toronto or Montreal, the home crowd arrives believing that this could be the year Fernandez finally puts together the week that her talent has always promised.

To follow her progress at the Canadian Open alongside every other player in the draw, explore our full Canadian Open players guide for entry list updates and tournament news.