It appears unlikely that after 4 years on tour, a career-high rating of No. 13 (2022) and a runner-up end on the 2021 US Open, that Leylah Annie Fernandez had by no means received a match (0-3) on the Australian Open.
She checked that off the listing on Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Alizé Cornet on Courtroom 3 (image above). The opposite Canadian in motion – in 14,820-seat Rod Laver Area – was Katherine Sebov and he or she left the match’s fundamental stadium having misplaced 6-3, 6-0 to No. 4 seed Caroline Garcia.
After rallying from a 3-1 deficit and a few iffy play on the outset, Fernandez settled down and was clearly the superior participant towards Cornet. She hit more durable with superior placement and customarily dominated the 32-year-old Frenchwoman, who prolonged her report consecutive Grand Slam match look streak to 64.
It appeared as if Fernandez was at all times on the verge of breaking the match open when she was at 30-all on Cornet’s serve a number of instances. However both a lapse by her or a well timed shot by the Frenchwoman saved the match aggressive. It wasn’t till she ran off the ultimate 4 video games that Fernandez was in a position to draw back and shut out the hour and 41-minute encounter.
“There are such a lot of issues that I might have accomplished sooner,” Fernandez admitted, “however I believe first matches are at all times arduous. It’s the primary spherical of a Grand Slam, of the primary Grand Slam of the yr. Nerves are there, and I used to be simply making an attempt to get my rhythm of the match once more. I haven’t performed a match for over every week, so it’s not straightforward.”
The following match she performs shall be on Thursday towards a high quality opponent in Garcia – a 29-year-old who made a spectacular soar within the WTA rankings from No.74 to No. 4 final yr – together with successful the year-end WTA Finals in Fort Value, Texas.
Garcia has attributed that advance to heeding the recommendation of coaches and committing to completely going for her pictures, taking part in flat-out aggressive tennis.
Requested concerning the problem of dealing with the Frenchwoman, Fernandez stated, “I believe it’s simply accepting the truth that she is going to assault me. She’s very offensive and takes the ball actually, actually early. It received’t be straightforward so I simply must get used to the pace and impose my recreation.”
Will probably be the primary assembly between the 2. For her half, Garcia commented about Fernandez, “I don’t know her that effectively. At first I used to play a bit along with her in observe however not currently. She’s performed effectively in Grand Slams, notably on the (2021) US Open. She likes to take the ball early and use her forehand. And if she beat Alizé, which means she’s fairly stable as a result of everyone knows the report Alizé has in Grand Slams. It’ll be a brilliant match. It’s powerful for a second spherical nevertheless it’s problem and also you want these to go far in tournaments.”
Garcia vs Fernandez is unquestionably one of many early spotlight clashes of the ladies’s occasion and must be showcased in certainly one of Melbourne Park’s fundamental stadiums. Garcia stated she was shocked to be scheduled in Rod Laver Area on Tuesday, getting her first ever win on that courtroom.
Fernandez has a brand new member of her teaching group in Julian Alonso – a 45-year-old Spaniard who ranked as excessive as No. 30 in 1998 and was recognized for having an enormous serve, and on the time for squiring then tennis “it lady’ Martina Hingis.
“We have been in search of a coach to be added to the group to work with my dad,” Fernandez stated. “To sort of develop it in a approach that he can journey with me and my dad can journey with my youthful sister (Bianca Jolie), as a result of she’s additionally in tennis making an attempt to battle her approach into this sport. I believe Julian is a superb addition to the group. He understands our values, understands our philosophy. I believe the factor that he’s contributing is his expertise as a participant and as a coach, as a result of he’s labored with varied prime athletes.”
Requested about making an attempt to return Alonso’s serve, Fernandez smiled and replied, “it’s arduous. Typically I simply have to shut my eyes and hope for one of the best.”
Tennis followers know concerning the depth and steely focus of Fernandez, so her reply to a query on Tuesday, about whether or not the psychological or the bodily is extra necessary for a participant, was no shock. She stated, “I noticed a video a pair years in the past that talks about coaches. I believe they have been requested the identical query. For me, the reply is that the psychological to the bodily is three to 1. Psychological is extraordinarily necessary.
“I’m very grateful that my mother and father, particularly my dad, has strengthened that. Hasn’t actually taught me about tennis or tennis method however extra of the psychological aspect of the game. As a result of it’s arduous. You’re on their lonesome on the market on courtroom. More often than not you don’t have a coach with you or the coach can’t speak to you throughout the factors. I’m like – you must determine some issues out, you must be your personal cheerleader, your personal greatest critic, your personal greatest supporter.”
Gamers journey waves of confidence and kind as Fernandez did to the 2021 US Open remaining, and as Garcia did to win the championship of the WTA Finals in November. Talking with French reporters Tuesday about carrying over her kind from the WTA Finals, which included straight-set wins over No. 4-ranked Coco Gauff, No. 5 Maria Sakkari and No. 7 Arnya Sabalenka, Garcia stated, “I don’t assume it’s attainable to proceed on the dynamic of the WTA Finals. There’s been vacation time, the coaching interval. There are many issues that change and evolve, I can’t say I’m making an attempt to surf on that dynamic. However simply to take all of the positives I had throughout the finish of the season – the sport model, the depth and the mentality, and actually preserve these. I do know I’ve the extent of play to beat one of the best and do huge issues. Think about these issues and take the match match by match and see how I can preserve enhancing my recreation.”
Towards Sebov on Tuesday that recreation acquired off to a little bit of a sluggish begin however as soon as she broke serve to steer 5-3 within the first set, it had fairly effectively attained cruising pace. Her attacking model was apparent within the match stats – 22 winners to 1 for Sebov.
“It was positively a novel expertise,” Sebov stated about taking part in in Rod Laver Area, “I’ve by no means actually been in an environment like that earlier than with that many individuals watching, and never simply reside however on TV as effectively. It was an incredible expertise. I actually loved it.”
Whereas saying that she wished she had performed somewhat higher, and significantly given herself more room to take care of Garcia’s huge pictures, Sebov leaves the 2023 Australian Open with vibe. “This expertise meant an entire lot to me, simply to qualify and to even win the primary spherical of qualifying was large for me as a result of I’d by no means ever accomplished something like that earlier than. Each time I got here to a Slam earlier than I used to be very nervous and I felt like ‘do I belong right here or not?’ That is the primary time I really feel that ‘sure, I do belong’ with this pool of gamers. It means so much for me to get this far and I can go even additional. You’ll positively see much more of me.”
For the rapid future, it appears like Sebov shall be taking part in the qualifying at a WTA 250 occasion in Thailand in two weeks.
About what sort of swag from the match she is going to depart AusOpen ’23 with, Sebov stated that she acquired a bottle of champagne after she certified.
She couldn’t consider the rest of notice, and was requested if she had a style for champagne. The soft-spoken, mild-mannered 24-year-old from Toronto stated that she didn’t…then added, “I favor Tequila.”
