Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez was made to work in her round of 16 match at the 2023 Hong Kong Open, rallying from a set down to defeat the up-and-coming Mirra Andreeva in spectacular fashion.
The 21-year old pulled off a 3-6 6-1 6-3 victory, overcoming a shaky first set to see of the 16-year old Russian. Nonetheless, the 2021 US Open runner-up was full of praise for her younger opponent after the match.
"Mirra is an amazing player," said Fernandez. "She’s very tough to play against. I’m just happy with the way I fought & the way I found solutions. I think it’s thanks to the encouragement from the crowd that helped me get through."
The Montreal native has had a subpar season by her standards, but hopes to ride her wave of momentum through the coming rounds. Awaiting Fernandez in the quarterfinal is another teenager, 18-year old rising Czech star Linda Fruhvirtova.