Mexico
Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez captured her first WTA singles title on Sunday, sweeping past qualifier Viktorija Golubic 6-1, 6-4 in the final at Monterrey, Mexico.
Fernandez, 18, didn’t drop a set all week on the way to her maiden title, needing just an hour and a half to get past Switzerland’s Golubic in their first career meeting.
Fernandez, the youngest player in the main draw, converted four of six break chances in the match while fending off four of five break points she faced. Golubic, ranked 102nd in the world — 14 places behind No.
88 Fernandez — recovered an early break in the second set, but Fernandez broke again late and served out the match with aplomb.
‘When I was seeing everybody going to the court, the trophies and then I sat down, I took a few deep breaths and then I realized that I won,’ Fernandez said, adding that it was ‘a little sad’ that her family couldn’t be with her to celebrate at the event. ‘I just tried to think of it as another match,’ she added.
‘I just wanted to focus on my game, on executing the game plan my coaches were telling me, execute my practices and I think today was one of those days where my balls went in when it mattered the most and I’m just very happy with it and I’m happy that I was able to stay in the present moment and not wander to the future or stay in the past points.’—APP
