Leylah Fernandez believes that her ongoing US Open campaign revealed her true potential at a young age of 19.
"I believed in my game but it also has helped me in opening my eyes that I have no limit to my potential," said Fernandez, who advanced in the US Open final after beating world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the semifinal.
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"And that I can go three sets against these players, that I can play against these and I can win against these top players. So I am just glad to have this experience and see where my games, my tennis game is at, my tennis level is at."
Before barging into the final, Fernandez, a Canadian of Filipino descent, wowed the tennis world by defeating the likes of fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, former world No. 1 and 16th-seed Angelique Kerber of Germany, and third-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan.
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With her winning ways, many Filipino and Canadian sports and tennis fans were quick to rejoice about her latest triumphs.
Fernandez is just a win away from capturing her first Grand Slam should she emerge victorious against 18-year-old British opponent Emma Raducanu, who earlier bested 17th-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece.
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Thanks to her past struggles, experiences, and even doubters, which she used as a motivation to continue her tennis career, Fernandez gained a much-needed confidence heading into the US Open final.
"But I'm eternally proud of the way that I fought for every point. My mental toughness has been a huge plus for me," said Fernandez, who just turned 19 four days ago, Sept. 6.
"So I'm just extremely happy with what I've achieved this week and off the court I'm just enjoying every minute of it."