Volume 17 • No. 18 • September 16 - 30, 2021 Publication Mailing Account #41721512
Kim Chiu
10 10 Yen Santos & Paolo Contis
Leylah Fernandez A class act Canadian professional tennis player Leylah Fernandez returned to Montreal, September 14, bringing home a life-changing prize of $1.25-million US as the runner-up to British 18-yearold Emma Raducanu during the Grand Slam final at the 2021 US Open on September 11. She made history at the U.S. Open tennis championship when she became only the second Canadian woman ever to make it to the final. The fivefeet-four-inch-tall, 19-year-old Fernandez became an instant fan favourite. She defeated four seeded players along the way, including defending champion Naomi Osaka. Fernandez has charmed not only tennis fans internationally, but she has also captivated everyone around the world with her humility, poise, and maturity. Leylah Annie Fernandez was born in Montreal on September 6, 2002. She is of mixed descent. Her father and coach, Jorge Fernandez, is from Ecuador and her mother, Irene Fernandez, is a Filipino-Canadian. Her father, a former professional soccer player, coached Fernandez throughout her career. She has a younger sister, Bianca Jolie, also a tennis player. In one interview, Fernandez lovingly paid tribute to her parents when she said, “Through the years, my dad and my mom taught me to work hard and to fight for what you want. Nothing See LEYLAH p4
Leylah Fernandez (Photo credit: Wikipedia)