WHAT HAPPENED: At the 2021 US Open, Leylah Fernandez staged a remarkable run, turning aside former champions and Top 5 seeds on a fairy tale ride to the final. This year, however, has been a cold dose of reality: a foot injury derailed her French Open, knocked her out of Wimbledon and limited her to just three matches—and one victory—since May.
Monday night in Louis Armstrong Stadium, the 19-year-old from Montreal took a first step toward getting her 2022 back on track. She tapped into some of her 2021 US Open magic to oust an uneven Oceane Dodin 6-3, 6-4, and advance to the second round.
The No. 14 seed looked ready to go from the start of the last match to commence on Day 1. She sprinted out to a 3-0 lead as the big-hitting Frenchwoman struggled to find the range. Dodin would settle slightly as the set went on, but — apart from a few lethal backhands — made too many mistakes (12 unforced errors, five double faults) against the steady Canadian (12 winners against 5 unforced errors).
It was much the same in the second set. A Dodin double fault gifted Fernandez an early break, and the former world junior No. 1 once again overcame a mid-set hiccup to register her 10th victory of the year on a hard court.
In all, Fernandez finished the match with a tidy 26 winners against nine unforced errors. The 5-foot-6 lefty registered a surprising 10 aces—most of the well-placed variety—while limiting her 6-foot opponent to just five and frustrating her into 24 miscues.
"I had goose bumps stepping back into this court tonight," said Fernandez following the match. "I felt the love here tonight. I was a bit tired waiting all day long, but the crowd's cheers pushed me to the end."
WHAT IT MEANS: At this point in her disrupted season, every victory is a dose of confidence for Fernandez, who won only one match in Toronto and lost her opener in Cincinnati, and every encounter builds the match toughness she’ll need if she wants to advance deep at this year’s Open.
Up next will be a stern test against 35th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova, who is riding an 11-match winning streak headlined by back-to-back titles at the US Open Series events in Washington, D.C., and Cleveland. A potential matchup with 23rd seed Barbora Krejcikova awaits in Round 3.
MATCH POINT: What a difference a year makes for Fernandez, at least as far as the draw is concerned. In 2021, she knocked off No. 3 seed and defending champion Naomi Osaka, No. 16 seed and 2016 champion Angelique Kerber, No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina and No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach the title match. This year, she wouldn’t face a Top 20 player until the fourth round and there is only one former Open champ in her quarter. Of course, that player just happens to be 23-time Slam winner Serena Williams.
