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US Originate 2021: Leylah Fernandez stuns World No. 5 Elina Svitolina to reach semifinals

Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez persisted her US Originate dream roam on Tuesday (September 7) by storming into her first Huge Slam semi-remaining with a combating 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) gather over Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina. It used to be but one other upset gather for Fernandez however rarely a shock brooding about she had already knocked out four-time vital champion Naomi Osaka in the third spherical and three-time Huge Slam winner Angelique Kerber in the fourth.

If there used to be any lingering concern that the mettlesome Canadian would buckle below the mounting stress, Fernandez eradicated it by prevailing in a nerve-jangling third attach of living tiebreak 7-5 to clinch a plot in the remainder four.

Rated one among the most uncomplicated gamers but to gather a serious, Svitolina would possibly perhaps want fancied her potentialities of returning to the US Originate semi-finals against a 73rd ranked teen. But Fernandez, who mighty her 19th birthday on Monday, has confirmed that she is now not any recent teenager after registering a string of upsets which private made her a Flushing Meadows darling.

Fernandez would be joined in the remainder four by compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime, who takes on 18-yr-earlier college Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in a while Tuesday. “I’d enlighten it’s the maple syrup,” said Fernandez when asked what they were feeding them up north to win the Canadians build so successfully on the US Originate.

The confident Canadian has played to the raucous crowd, using their vitality to relief gasoline a payment into the remainder eight and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd used to be over all any other time in her corner on Tuesday. In a US Originate hit by a series of extensive-title withdrawals, younger abilities equivalent to Fernandez and 18-yr-earlier college Briton Emma Raducanu private stepped as much as blueprint shut the spotlight in the absence of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams.

Raducanu will win her likelihood to regulate to Fernandez into the semi-finals on Wednesday when she takes on Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, But except then it is miles the charismatic Canadian stealing the general attention with her brash, gutsy play.

“In the event you haven’t considered the most thrilling participant on the US Originate, 19-yr earlier college Leylah Fernandez, you’re if fact be told lacking out!! She… is on fire. She’s interesting the area!” tweeted NBA big Magic Johnson.

Svitolina came into the contest riding a nine-match a success plug and he or she had no longer dropped a attach of living en route to the quarter-finals – Fernandez ended each and every. The Canadian lefthander had Svitolina off-steadiness from the launch, denying the 26-yr-earlier college a single ruin opportunity as she bagged the hole attach of living.

Taking half in with extra aggression, Svitolina would win her potentialities in the second attach of living as she broke Fernandez twice to manufacture a 5-1 revenue. But the Ukrainian used to be peaceable made to work for the attach of living, Fernandez breaking relief and unsafe a second ruin prior to Svitolina would shut out with an ace to level the match.

The secret to the general tennis success?

Maple. Syrup. @leylahfernandez | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Dgab5En4Cz

— US Originate Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2021

Fernandez, nevertheless, remained unfazed, getting a ruin in the third to switch in entrance 4-2 prior to windmilling her fingers to induce the gang to answer to her effort which they did with a mighty bawl.

Down 5-3 and with Fernandez serving for the match, Svitolina showed some combating spirit of her private to ruin the Canadian after which held help to win relief on level terms. With the contest stretched into a deciding tiebreak, Svitolina would possibly perhaps want been higher equipped to tackle the unbelievable stress however all any other time it used to be Fernandez who used to be rock stable as she pulled off one other upset victory.

(with Reuters inputs)

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