New York (AFP)
19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez, US Open sensation, advanced to the semi-finals, beating 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) Elina Svitolina (5th World), Tuesday in New York.
Since she took out to everyone's surprise the defending champion Naomi Osaka in the 3rd round, then the German Angelique Kerber in the 8th, yet each time being led by a set to zero, the 73rd player in the world continues to cross this US Open as in a dream.
Faced with Svitolina, semifinalist in 2019 who appeared somewhat cautious, it was she who was the most aggressive and the most enterprising in the game in the first set, with her great forehands which often hit the mark.
The Canadian Leylah Fernandez, during her US Open quarter-final against the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, on September 7, 2021 in New York TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP
In the second round, the Ukrainian, bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, recovered by breaking twice.
But she still had to fight to equalize on one of her five aces, after her opponent started a comeback, under the eyes of her husband Gaël Monfils.
Used to the battles that last, Fernandez, raising high her closed right fist and drawing her energy from the support of the public with each point won, she broke away in the third set, leading 5-2, but Svitolina broke twice. , making the epilogue of this match very uncertain.
The tie-break fell to 5-5, when the Canadian passed a long-line passing with the help of the net.
On which, it is Svitolina who cracked on his match point by committing the fatal error, before going to congratulate his opponent who was barely getting up to have put his knees on the ground.
The Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, during her defeat in the quarter-finals of the US Open against the Canadian Leylah Fernandez, on September 7, 2021 in New York ELSA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
In the semifinals, Fernandez will still have a lot to do against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (2nd) or Czech Barbora Krejcikova (9th), winner of the last Roland Garros.
© 2021 AFP