Hong Kong Tennis Open winner Leylah Fernandez insists she and Emma Raducanu can ‘get back to the highest level’
- Both players were tipped for huge success after their 2021 US Open final – but have since seen their fortunes slide
- Now 21, Fernandez admits ‘my head was up in the clouds’ – but insists ‘I know what I need to do now to get back on top’
Newly minted Hong Kong Tennis Open champion Leylah Fernandez insists she and Emma Raducanu can get back to the “highest level” and challenge for grand slams again.
Canadian Fernandez, partly of Filipino heritage, was on the losing side against British star Raducanu, whose mother is Chinese, in the 2021 US open final. But the New York showpiece still seemed to herald the possible start of a new era in women’s tennis, dominated by two young players with Asian blood.
Then aged 19, Fernandez defeated three top-five players en route to the final, including defending champion Naomi Osaka, while Raducanu became the first qualifier ever to win a grand slam.
But their fortunes have both suffered since. Fernandez saw her ranking drop from No 13 to 60th in the world, amid “a lot of ups and downs”, and her victory in Victoria Park on Sunday marked her first title in 19 months.
Raducanu, now 20 and ranked No 282 in the world, has failed to hit anything remotely close to the heights of her shock triumph at Flushing Meadows, however.
“Well, 2021 was a special tournament for both of us, we both did extraordinary things not many people get to experience,” Fernandez told the Post after her thrilling three-set win over seven-time doubles grand slam champion Katerina Siniakova on Centre Court in Causeway Bay.
