Leylah Fernandez is back in the winner's circle for the first time in 18 months, and it's a well-deserved win for the Canadian at the 2023 Hong Kong Open.
Fernandez once stood in the US Open final, but since then, the Canadian didn't really do much. She won in Mexico almost two years ago, and now, after 18 months, Fernandez is back with another trophy.
It came at the Hong Kong Open, where she outlasted an injury-ridden Siniakova to win the trophy. She played a fantastic week of tennis, downing players like Mirra Andreeva en route to the final, and then outplayed a player who took two medical timeous and was limited in what she could do.
Call it luck or just good fortune, but Fernandez deserved it after she struggled with injuries and confidence issues. The triumph is meaningful in many ways.
First of all, it proves that she still has good tennis. Secondly, it should give her confidence for next year, which could be a pivotal year for her. And finally, she's going to return to the Top 50 because of it.
Fernandez broke through into the Top 30 after her US Open run, peaking at number 24 in the following weeks. Her career high is 14 which she got the following year but after her injury and poor play, she dropped down as low as 96.
She was 60th before this event and will make a return to the Top 50 somewhere around 43rd or so. It's a good starting point for next season and just a return to where she truly belongs.
Her talent is tremendous, but she struggled to find herself after missing a long time due to a foot injury which came at a time when she was playing really solid tennis. We'll see how far she can go next year.
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