Leylah Annie Fernandez will play her first final of the year in Eastbourne. The Canadian eliminated American Madison Keys in the semi-finals on Friday.
Fernandez, 30th in the world rankings, got the better of the 4th seed and 12th in the world in three sets of 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3 after 2 hours 3 minutes.
It’s a big victory for the Quebecer who confirms her progress on the grass. She showed patience and calculated her moves well to beat Keys.
In the ninth game of the third set, Fernandez came back from 15-40 to tie the game only to save a break point and close on her second match point.
Leylah Annie Fernandez advances to the final in Eastbourne.
Photo : getty images for lta / Charlie Crowhurst
It was their second meeting, and the American had won their first duel in the second round on the clay of the French Open in 2021.
In the final, Fernandez will face Russian Daria Kasatkina, 6th seed, victorious over Italian Jasmine Paolini (No. 3) 3-6, 7-5 and 6-3.
This place in the final could not have come at a better time for Fernandez, on the day of the Wimbledon draw which begins on Monday. She will face the Italian Lucia Bronzetti, 64th in the WTA, in the first round.
Dabrowski imitates Fernandez
In the doubles tournament, there will also be a Canadian in the final.
Gabriela Dabrowski and her New Zealand partner Erin Routliffe also struggled to reach the final round.
They defeated the Japanese Makoto Ninomiya and the Spaniard Cristina Bucsa in three sets of 6-7 (2/7), 6-4 and 10-8.
Dabrowski and Routliffe, who grew up in Caledon, Ontario, will face the pair of Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the final.
