Earlier this year, at only 19 years old, Leylah Fernandez rose from obscurity to make her name at the 2021 U.S. Open by beating champions, thus establishing herself as one of the world’s best young tennis players.

Born in 2002 in Montreal, Canada, to a Filipino-Canadian mother and Ecuadorian father also now acting as her coach, she played different sports during her youth, including football and volleyball, until ultimately tennis stole her heart.

At 17, Fernandez turned professional, winning her first professional singles title at the Gatineau Challenger and later becoming a Junior Grand Slam champion at the 2019 French Open, making her the first Canadian female to win a Junior Grand Slam since 2012.

In March 2021, she captured the first WTA title of her career at the Monterrey Open. It was her second appearance in a WTA final and her second in Mexico, after having finished runner-up at the 2020 Mexican Open.

And now, although she did fail to bring the trophy back home from the 2021 U.S. Open, Fernandez still became the youngest woman to take down multiple Top 5 players at a major in the 22 years since Serena Williams did the same at the 1999 U.S. Open. Indeed, she beat four of the biggest names in women’s tennis in a row: Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, and Aryna Sabalenka.

That day, not only did she gain new fans with her remarkable run and by far the biggest single prize of her young and short career with the earning of $1.25 million, changing her life, but she also gained the admiration and respect of Americans with her post-match comments on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

"I know on this day it's especially hard for New York and everyone around the United States,” she said. “I just want to say that I hope I can be as strong and resilient as New York has been the past 20 years.”

As such, Fernandez is without doubt one the most promising young players. Now, tennis fans can excitedly anticipate where her proven skills will lead her in the future.