Leylah Fernandez secured her first win of the 2023 National Bank Open against Peyton Stearns on Tuesday afternoon.
Fernandez, a Montreal native, beat her American opponent by a score of 6-3, 6-2 in front of fired-up hometown fans at IGA Stadium. And despite attaining a career-high ranking of world No. 13 in 2022 and advancing to the US Open final in 2021, the 20-year-old had yet to win a match on a Montreal court.
Until now, that is.
Home comforts š”š„°@leylahfernandez secures her first career victory in her hometown of Montreal!#NBO23 pic.twitter.com/2gMI8IifwP
— wta (@WTA) August 8, 2023
As soon as she stepped on the court, the Quebec crowd, which was about three quarters full, made up for a few empty seats with a lot of loud cheers and signs that read “Go Leylah Go”.
As a child, Fernandez says she used to attend the annual summer tournament as a tennis fan.
“Back then it was called the Rogers Cup, and I came here with my family,” she explained. “It’s been a dream of mine to play here in front of a packed house,” she added.
Not a full house by any means, but a very warm Montreal welcome for hometown hero Leylah Fernandez @OBNmontreal pic.twitter.com/NvSFokWdOq
— Al (@al_sciola) August 8, 2023
This continued throughout the match as Fernandez, who sits at No. 81 on the women’s ranking, dominated the 57th seed with ease.
Despite making it look easy, Fernandez said she was nervous before the match.
“There’s a lot of nerves going around,” she said. “I’m playing in front of a home crowd. I want to do well for them. But I’m happy that I was able to just do my routines. And by doing my routines, that helped me get in the zone.”
Leylah takes the first set against Peyton Stearns @OBNmontreal #NationalBankOpen pic.twitter.com/fNSXtS78YK
— Al (@al_sciola) August 8, 2023
According to Fernandez, who looked poised throughout both sets, motivation from the crowd was a difference maker.
“The crowd was amazing,” she told reporters after the match. “I felt it, their positivity, their emotions.”
“I’m very happy to have reached my goal and I hope to win another match,” she added.
Moving on to the second round, she will face the winner of Tuesday’s match between Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and Magdalena Frech of Poland.
The National Bank Open kicked off on August 4 and will conclude on August 13.
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