Fil-Canadian

Leylah Fernandez reveals coach advice that led to her DC Open win

The Filipino Canadian tennis star clinches the biggest title of her career

By: Gavin Martinez - @inquirerdotnet

INQUIRER.net US Bureau / 06:49 PM July 27, 2025

FILE PHOTO – Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns the ball against Jessica Pegula during a match at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Filipino Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez staged an epic comeback against No.3 seed Elena Rybakina on Saturday at the 2025 DC Open – thanks to a simple but powerful advice from her coach.

Sometimes, the turning point in a high-stakes match is not a spectacular shot or a shift in momentum. It’s a quiet moment of clarity. For Fernandez, that moment came from the sidelines.

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In her nail-biting semifinal victory, Fernandez overcame Rybakina in a battle that lasted nearly three hours, with the final score reading 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 7-6(3). But beyond the numbers, it was a crucial message from her coach that sparked her second-set resurgence.

“I wasn’t actually telling myself much at that point,” Fernandez admitted after the match. “I was just looking at my coach. I think I was on the same side. He was just telling me, ‘Look, bury your serve.’”

With the match slipping and Fernandez down Love-40, she didn’t panic. In fact, she listened.

“If I was going to lose that game, I was going to at least do what my coach is telling me,” she added. “I’m glad that at that point it worked out and I was able to kind of zone into the objectives. But yeah, just in that moment, it was actually listen to my coach and execute. Don’t overthink too much.”

That moment of surrender to trust, to simplification, flipped the rhythm of the match. Fernandez’s ability to tune into her coach’s voice over her own racing thoughts highlights not only her maturity on court but also the bond she’s built with her support team.

On Sunday, Fernandez advanced to the Mubadala Citi DC Open final and clinched the biggest title of her career, defeating No.11 seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2.