Leylah Fernandez has shown no sign of feeling pressure as she plays her final WTA tournament before the US Open, defeating Linda Noskova in the first round of Tennis in the Land.
Fernandez had the burden of 1300 ranking points to defend at last year's New York Grand Slam, after finishing as runner-up to Emma Raducanu in the 2021 US Open final.
However, the Canadian ended up exiting the 2022 Slam early on after being defeated by Liudmila Samsonova in the second round, which saw her drop out of the Top 30 in the WTA Rankings. Since then, Fernandez has struggled to re-achieve the results she saw in Flushing Meadows two years ago.
Despite her US Open result, Fernandez maintained a fairly strong season in 2022, making the quarter-finals of the French Open and winning her second WTA title at the Monterrey Open.
However, she faced disappointment when a foot injury sustained at the Roland Garros forced her to miss that year's Wimbledon.
Moving into 2023, Fernandez was struggling to regain the form that took her to a Grand Slam final, and she is currently ranked at No. 72 in the WTA Rankings.
Nevertheless, the lack of pressure coming into this year's US Open could prove helpful for Fernandez, as it removes a level of stress and means she doesn't have to worry about losing points.
Meanwhile, Fernandez put on a dominant display in the first round of Tennis in the Land, the last WTA event in the US Open series. She breezed past Noskova 6-0, 6-2, showcasing some of the great talent that fans saw at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
Fernandez will go on to face either Barbora Krejcikova or Clara Tauson in the Round of 16 at the tournament.
Fernandez on 🔥 This time last year, Leylah Fernandez was heading into the US Open with 1300 points to defend as the 2021 runner-up. This year? The pressure is off. Fernandez races past Linda Noskova, 6-0, 6-2, to face either Barbora Krejcikova or lucky loser Clara Tauson.
