"In the top 10 for obvious reasons": Leylah Fernandez lauds Maria Sakkari ahead of United Cup meeting on Wednesday

Canada’s tennis star Leylah Fernandez has heaped praise on Greece’s Maria Sakkari ahead of her clash at the United Cup.

The 21-year-old defeated Daniela Seguel in her first outing in the competition in the group stage with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Fernandez was quoted in a report where she heaped praise on the 28-year-old who is going to be her next opponent.

“I think against Sakkari, it’s going to be a tough match,” she said. “She’s a great player, in the top 10 for obvious reasons, and I think I’m just going to talk with my captain, coaches and see what I need to do to help team Canada with the win.”

Talking about her performance, Fernandez stated that she was pretty satisfied with how she played in the opening round fixture.

“It was a good win from my part, a lot of nerves in the beginning, first match of the season is never easy, especially after a very good pre-season, and I wanted to show what I’ve been working on and what I’ve been doing well,” she said.

“But at the same time, you’ve got to kind of control that emotion and keep it at bay, and I think I did well to try and maintain that and just enjoy my time on court, trying new things, going to the net and it worked out today.”