Leylah Fernandez social media account
Canadian with Filipino roots takes opening set before third-seeded American rallies; doubles run also ends in second round
NEW YORK — Leylah Fernandez’s US Open singles run ended in the third round Friday after third-seeded Jessica Pegula recovered from a one-set deficit to defeat the Canadian 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fernandez, whose mother is Filipino and father is Ecuadorian, controlled the opening set before Pegula gradually turned the match, taking the second set and carrying the momentum into the decider.
The loss ended a singles run in which Fernandez reached the third round without dropping a set. She defeated China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round and followed with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
Fernandez, 23, remains closely associated with the US Open after her breakthrough run to the 2021 final, when she defeated a succession of higher-ranked opponents before losing to Emma Raducanu in the championship match.
Her 2026 campaign did not extend as far, but she again reached the final 32 in New York before running into Pegula, one of the highest-seeded players remaining in the draw.
Fernandez also competed in women’s doubles with Indonesia’s Janice Tjen. The pair won their opening match 6-1, 6-1 before ninth-seeded Erin Routliffe and Aldila Sutjiadi defeated them 6-4, 6-4 in the second round Saturday.
