Into her first career semifinal on grass 🌱 Clinical from @leylahfernandez as she defeats Dart in Eastbourne! Next faces Keys or Muchova at the #RothesayInternational
Leylah Fernandez reaches first semi-final of the season at 2024 Eastbourne International
WTAThursday, 27 June 2024 at 14:08
Leylah Fernandez is into her first semi-final of the season at the 2024 Eastbourne International after thrashing Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-1 in the Quarter-Finals on Thursday.
Fernandez has lost just one set en route this week coming through a tense three-set over 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round. The Canadian last reached a semi-final in Autumn last year in Nanchang, but she made the Quarter-Finals last week in Birmingham.
She will now face off against Karolina Muchova or Madison Keys who face off later today in the last Quarter-Final for a spot in the final. She has won five sets 6-1 in her last six matches played. Before this run, she hadn't won a set 6-1 in any of her previous 29 matches. She won 5/7 of her break points against the Brit as well as 71% points won on serve in what was a dominant display with 15 winners to 12 unforced errors. Compared to only 6 and 24 from Dart in defeat.
"It's such a short season that you want to enjoy it as much as possible," Fernandez told WTA Insider. "You don't want to feel like in that month and a half of tournaments that you're dreading it.
"When we were kids, the first thing we did was play on grass. So try and bring that emotion that you get to play on grass and enjoy. I remember when I was 8 or 9 years old, I always said I wish I could play on grass, just hit a tennis ball there. Now is my opportunity, so just taking the joy from that."
"I'm not the biggest nor the strongest out there on tour," Fernandez said, "but I do know that if I move my feet right and I have a solid base on my legs, then I will be able to hit the balls that I want in the direction that I want it.
"So for me, the key is the legs and the footwork."
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