Leylah Fernandez achieved something rare in tennis against Martina Trevisan at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but she did not want to take all the credit afterward.
Fernandez's overall results have been mixed since returning from over two months out with a foot injury sustained at the French Open. That injury effectively cost her the opportunity to match what she achieved at last year's US Open when she reached the final.
The Canadian played excellent tennis to reach the quarterfinal at Roland Garros. Ironically, the injury she picked up at that stage came against Trevisan, a clay court specialist who struggles on other surfaces.
Despite visibly hurting throughout, Fernandez pushed Trevisan to three sets before losing. The 20-year-old missed the entire grass court and season and withdrew from an exhibition against Coco Gauff because of the injury.
Fernandez met Trevisan again in Canada's tie against Italy at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Although the former US Open runner-up was the favorite to beat her on an indoor hardcourt, no one expected the 6-0, 6-0 drubbing she handed Trevisan.
That was the second match of Canada's 3-0 victory against Italy. Bianca Andreescu won a more competitive match against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the other singles, and Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Jasmine Paolini and Lucia Bronzetti in the doubles.
Unsurprisingly, Fernandez's match received the most attention because she did not lose a game. However, she was eager to emphasize Andreescu's performance in the other singles and the support she received from her team members and the crowd.
“I think today was just a great day overall for everyone. Bianca played a great match. I was just so happy that I was able to follow it up with a great performance. Just the support I was receiving in the crowd, the support I was receiving by the bench behind me was incredible. It definitely helped.”
Canada's next match with Switzerland, which also defeated the Italians 3-0, will decide which team advances to the semifinals.
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