Canada’s Leylah Fernandez reaches French Open quarters

Leylah Fernandez will be the only Canadian in the Roland Garros singles quarterfinals this year.

The Montrealer edged out American Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in their fourth-round match Sunday. Fernandez is now the first Canadian woman to make the Roland Garros quarterfinals since Eugenie Bouchard in 2014.

“It was a very hard match, an incredible match for the both of us. I think we brought a high level,” Fernandez said of the win over Anisimova.

Enormously grateful to be in the quarterfinals at #RolandGarros Thankful for an amazing support system from the crowds energy, family, friends, & my team. BUT by far the best moment was seeing Thierry Henry in the stands.

— leylahfernandez (@leylahfernandez) May 29, 2022

The American was a women’s singles semifinalist at age 17, in 2019, the year 16-year-old Fernandez won the junior girls’ title.

Since then, their careers have gone in somewhat opposite directions.

“I’m just glad that today I was able to fight through some difficult moments and just enjoy the game as much as possible,” Fernandez added.

For Fernandez, the opportunities abound in a decimated women’s singles draw that lost nine of its top 10 seeds in the first week. Only world No. 1 Iga Swiatek remains. She’s in the other half of the bracket, and the two could only meet in the final.

This French Open, we witness the rise of #Claylah Fernandez!

The No. 17 seed is absolutely on fire, and reached the #RolandGarros quarter-final for the first time in her career with a win over No. 27 seed Amanda Anisimova.

Read more: https://t.co/WCHE6sXkcf

— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) May 29, 2022

Fernandez’s next challenge will be No. 59 ranked Martina Trevisan.

Trevisan, a 28-year-old from Italy, was an improbable quarterfinalist in the 2020 edition of Roland Garros held before few fans, at the peak of the pandemic and in chilly October Paris weather.

Tennis Canada notes the two women have never met at a tournament, “making this their first head-to-head matchup. ”

Félix Auger-Aliassime falls to Rafael Nadal

Meanwhile, fellow Montrealer Félix Auger-Aliassime will not be joining Fernandez in the quarters, after his loss to Rafael Nadal.

Tennis Canada says despite him missing the quarter-finals, Auger-Aliassime did what only two men before him had ever done — push 13-time champion, Nadal, to five sets at Roland Garros.

“As the massive underdog against Nadal, Auger-Aliassime gave the greatest clay-court player of all time everything he could handle, taking the opening set and then showing incredible nerve to battle back to force a fifth after Nadal pulled ahead,” the group writes in its daily digest, adding he joins “an exclusive club” alongside Novak Djokovic and John Isner.

Three men took Nadal to a 5th set at #RolandGarros.

Félix Auger-Aliassime is one of them.

Despite falling to the 21-time Grand Slam champion, he can leave with his head held high.

Rafael Nadal wins, 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3.

Awesome match, Félix. We’re proud of you! pic.twitter.com/cJVpuMlyfS

— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) May 29, 2022

Nadal showed his champion’s mettle at the very end of the four-hour, 20-minute epic to squeeze through 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

“He was serving well in the fifth set, playing well behind the serve, being very aggressive. And I think he took it even higher, one step further, from 4-3,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Honestly, I didn’t play a bad game. I did what I had to do. He was dictating, aggressive when he needed to and also defending really well on two points where I came to the net.

“Just a great game from him and then, again, he showed great composure at the end to serve for the match. I was still there trying to win, but he played really well.”

Auger-Aliassime was looking to be the first Canadian men’s quarterfinalist in Paris since Milos Raonic, also in 2014.