In the final of the Singapore Tennis Open, Canada's Leylah Fernandez saved a set point and then won nine games in a row. The score of 7:5, 6:0 against Australia's Talia Gibson looks convincing, but behind it lies not just a strong match, but a return after a long stretch without titles.
Fernandez entered the tournament on a wild card, ranked 31st. In the quarterfinals she defeated top seed Mirra Andreeva, and in the semifinals she came back from 1:6 down against Maya Chwalinska. Those matches showed that the 24-year-old tennis player knows how to regroup mid-match when everything is going off plan.
The key to victory is her work with her father Jorge, who has coached her since she was eight years old. After the match, Fernandez admitted that it was precisely his words about patience that helped her in the difficult moments. In tennis, where one bad rally can shatter your concentration for an entire set, such support becomes a real advantage.
For Gibson, the final was the first of her career. The Australian reached it after her opponent's withdrawal in the semifinals and had already managed to beat Maria Sakkari. However, in the second set the errors came one after another, and Fernandez exploited that ruthlessly. The difference in experience in finals proved decisive.
The victory brought Fernandez 500 ranking points and 185 thousand dollars. She rose in the live rankings and now has two WTA 500 titles in her career. All six of her trophies have been won on hard courts — the surface on which the Canadian feels most confident.
This success shows how important it is not to lose faith in yourself after a string of winless stretches. Fernandez proved that even after a year without titles, you can come back and take the top prize if you stay focused and lean on trusted people by your side.
