Us Open, Fernandez in semifinale a 19 anni

A very hard-fought match with the Ukrainian bronze medalist in Tokyo, she is the youngest since Sharapova in 2005: “I believed in my dream”. Now challenge the Sabalenka

A very close, exciting fight, a fun match full of reversals in front. In the end, Leylah Fernandez, the 19-year-old number 73 in the world, goes to the semifinals at the US Open, who after tripping outgoing champion Naomi Osaka, and three-time Slam champion Angie Kerber, also beat Elina Svitolina, bronze at the Olympic Games. Tokyo. It’s over 6-3 3-6 7-6 (5). Incredulous Fernandez, Canadian with a Filipino mother and father, a former Ecuadorian footballer: “Honestly, I have no idea how she feels now – she said after the victory -. I repeated to myself that I have faith in my shots, which at the cost of losing I had to play my tennis and I’m glad I did.

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Between dad and coach

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In the stands to applaud the mother and the fitness coach of Cuban origin Duglas Cordero, who has worked for years with Fabio Fognini. But the inspiration was given to him by his father George who is also his coach, although he comes from football: “My father has always told me a lot of things, but this time when I heard him before going on the pitch he just told me : ‘It’s your first time in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, go and have fun and make sure it’s not your last game. Fight for your dreams. ” Meanwhile, thanks to the training on the beach to which Cordero subjects her, she has already become the youngest in a semifinal at the Us Open by Sharapova in 2005. The dream continues.

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Now the Sabalenka

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For Fernandez in the semifinals there is now the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. The number 2 seed beat Czech Barbora Krejcikova, queen at Roland Garros, 6-1 6-4.

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The match

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Start of the match difficult for Sabalenka who immediately had to pull out her nails and character to hold a first game of batting peppered with three double faults. The Czech did not have the readiness to attack her rival and in the following game she had her serve to break 2-0. The Paris champion has set the counter-break in the fourth game which, however, has not confirmed letting the Sabalenka escape 3-1 ahead. Here the Belarusian saved three more break points for 4-1 and went to take the set with another break. To decide the challenge was the break at the beginning of the second set, again in favor of Sabalenka, more and more master of the field and of her own batting turns. And so without conceding other break points, the Belarusian finished the game in an hour and 26 minutes, despite modest overall numbers: 6 aces, 7 double fouls, 57% of firsts, 22 winners, 23 free mistakes but 20 points overall. more than the rival (71 to 51) who was insufficient on all aspects of the game.

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Growing

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During the tournament Sabalenka lost only one set, the second played in the first round against Serbian Nina Stojanovic. Since then, she has slipped 9 sets in a row, leaving her opponents 20 games, an average of just over 2 games per set. For Sabalenka it is the second Grand Slam semifinal in a row reached (also the second overall in their career) after the one played two months ago at Wimbledon when they lost 5-7 6-4 6-4 to the Czech Karolina Pliskova. The second semifinal instead will come out today from the last two quarter-finals: at 18 Italian the Swiss Belinda Bencic faces the British Emma Raducanu and at one of the Italian nights the Czech Karolina Pliskova challenges the Greek Maria Sakkari.

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