US Open: Teenager Leylah Fernandez beats Elina Svitolina to reach semi-finals

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Date: 30 August-12 September
Coverage: Daily radio commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra/BBC Sport website and app, with selected live text
commentaries and match reports on the website and app
Teenager Leylah Fernandez produced another fearless performance to beat Elina
Svitolina and set up a US Open semi-final with Aryna Sabalenka.
Canada's Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, showed all of her devastating power to
win a tense tie-break 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in New York.
Svitolina, 26, had overturned a 5-2 deficit in the third but could not stop Fernandez's
thrilling, powerful play.
Second seed Sabalenka dominated French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova 6-1 6-4.
Fernandez has beaten defending champion Naomi Osaka, 2016 winner Angelique
Kerber and now Olympic bronze medallist Svitolina in her run to her first major semi-
final.
She has shown remarkable composure in New York, backing up her easy power with a
calmness and composure on court.
As Svitolina sent a return of serve long on match point, Fernandez fell to her knees and
teared up as she was given a lengthy ovation by the fans on Arthur Ashe.
"I honestly have no idea what I'm feeling right now. I was so nervous throughout the
whole match," she said.
"I was honoured to have a fight with Svitolina. I just told myself to go for every point. I'm
glad I did."
Fernandez is the youngest women to reach the US Open singles semi-finals since
Maria Sharapova in 2005, getting there a day after her 19th birthday.
The teenagers have made a breakthrough in this year's US Open, with 18-year-olds
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alvaraz also reaching the fourth round along with
Fernandez.
Fernandez has shown them that going one further, no matter the opponent, is possible.
She has done it by trusting in her game and her big-hitting weapons, finishing with 42
winners against Svitolina.
As British tennis player Naomi Broady told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport: "This is not a flash
in the pan. Fernandez has backed it up match after match."
Her father, who coaches her, is an ex-professional footballer. As a child, Fernandez
says she believed she could beat him in games of backyard football – and it is that self-
confidence that has backed up her performances in New York.
She credited her dad, who is at home with her young sister, with giving her tactical
support. Her lively support box is led by her fitness coach Duglas Cordero who
constantly asked them to make more noise.
"My dad told me so many things but today he told me to have fun," she said.

"He said fight for every point and to not make the quarter-finals my last match and fight
for my dream."
Fernandez started strongly against Svitolina, breaking for a 4-2 lead and smashing
winners past her increasingly passive opponent.
An Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo, Svitolina was slow to adjust her game, but she
mixed defence with offence better in the third to finally break the Fernandez serve.
But Fernandez simply kept hitting and winning the long rallies, breaking back as
Svitolina served for the set at 5-1, and creating four break points in the Ukrainian's next
service game.
The scream that Svitolina let out when an ace out wide wrapped up the second set
showed how frustrated she was, but she made the first dent in the third set.
Again, Fernandez hit her way out of trouble, choosing her shots carefully and
outmanoeuvring Svitolina at the net. Three breaks of serve led to the Canadian serving
for the match, but she appeared nervy for the first time, allowing Svitolina an opening.
The tie-break, however, felt like one-way traffic. Fernandez raced out to a 4-1 lead and
the points that went against her were largely of her own making, rather than one last
push from Svitolina.
The Ukrainian fought hard but she could not stem Fernandez's momentum, with the two
sharing a hug and a brief word before Svitolina left the court.
Svitolina is often tipped as a Grand Slam champion in waiting but she has reached just
two major semi-finals at the French Open and Flushing Meadows in 2019.