Fernandez receives praise after helping Canada to Billie Jean King Cup qualification

After a solid performance during Canada's victory over Belgium at last week's Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez has been lauded for her role by several sports journalists.

Fernandez secured a point for Team Canada after defeating Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets, then rallied from a set down to get past Ysaline Bonaventure after the latter had leveled the score by beating Canada's Rebecca Marino.

The Europeans came back to level the score at 2-2, and it came down to the deciding doubles rubber. Fernandez was once again called to action, teaming with Gabriela Dabrowski to defeat Kirsten Flipkens and Minnen 6-1, 6-2, securing Canada's spot in November's finals.

Canadian sports journalist Crina Mustafa heaped praise on Fernandez's play following the victory, stating she had noticed a great improvement in the 20-year old's game over the last few weeks.

"I think so [that this weekend can be a good springboard for her for the rest of the season]. I was watching her practice on the very first day and I gotta tell you, I felt something different watching her. I have a special feeling, she seems like she's really sharp in practice, something feels different,” she said on the Match Point Canada Podcast.

"And then she came out and she won that first set 6-0. And I was like, ‘okay, this is the Leylah we’re getting this week’. She just looks so sharp, so on top of her game, she seems really confident in her style. I even asked her, ‘I was like, hey, you seem like a very clutch player, you go for those big points all the time.’ She'd served an ace on so many important points this weekend. It was giving me anxiety, I don't know how she doesn't have this anxiety.”