The board was wide open for Leylah Annie Fernandez. A presence in the final at Roland-Garros was clearly within reach. However, the Quebecer rubbed shoulders with the player that no one was expecting in Paris. Martina Trevisan ended Fernandez’s run 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 in their quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
Posted at 8:42
When she reached the final of the United States Open last season, Leylah Annie Fernandez surprised the tennis world. Unknown or almost unknown to the general public, she had chained surprise victories and unexpected triumphs against the best players in the world and Grand Slam champions.
What Martina Trevisan has been experiencing since the start of the fortnight at the Porte d’Auteuil is roughly similar. Even if her scorecard is less impressive, her aplomb on the orange earth allowed her not only to beat the Quebecer, but above all to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time since the start of her career. which spans ten years.
From the start of the match, the Italian imposed her style of play. In this rare battle between left-handers, Travisan managed to make Fernandez uncomfortable. However, it should be noted that the course of the Lavalloise has been more complex than that of her opponent since the start of the tournament. She beat top seeds Belinda Bencic (14) and Amanda Anisimova (27) in long games, while Trevisan hadn’t lost a set before Tuesday’s game.
PHOTOGONZALO FUENTES, REUTERS
Martina Trevisan
The 28-year-old Italian’s long, heavy and direct balls seemed to destabilize the 17e seed, who tends to take the ball early in the rebound. Fernandez had a hard time applying his forehands, which are usually so biting and darting. However, she was often misaligned and badly positioned, so that she often hit the ball with the frame of her racquet or off balance. She collected unforced errors in the first set and she was in trouble quickly.
His state of health was also a determining factor. In the fifth game of the inning, Fernandez called in the therapist to treat a right foot injury. She had a bandage applied, but she was still uncomfortable and diminished.
Trevisan took the opportunity to move his opponent profusely. Although she saved three set points, Fernandez was not a shadow of herself and lost the set 6-2.
The return of Fernandez
Those who counted Fernandez as beaten didn’t learn. The Quebecer is the queen of the big comebacks and everything was possible against the 59e player in the world. Despite a sore foot and non-existent momentum, she came back very strong in the second set. The sleeve was very close and was played with few things.
The strength of character shown by the 19-year-old undoubtedly confused the Italian. The Quebecer adapted quickly and came back into the game.
There’s also the fact that Trevisan were unable to field the right serves. This facet of the game was complex for the veteran. Not only was the velocity less, but his lack of consistency and his numerous double faults in crucial moments cost him the set. Fernandez won in the tiebreaker.
However, a Cinderella story would be nothing without a happy ending. It was legitimate to believe that Fernandez could slow down Trevisan in his beautiful course. After all, she had been the main character in this same kind of story less than a year ago in Flushing Meadows. She knew it was a trap. Then despite her experience, the Italian is not yet cut out for the big moments. She won her first career title just a few days ago in Morocco and her best grand slam result was a quarter-final appearance at the same Roland-Garros tournament in 2020.
The last third of the match was to the advantage of Trevisan, despite good flashes from Fernandez, especially in a break situation. After trailing 4-0, Fernandez unexpectedly came back at 5-3. A specialist on clay, the Italian finally found a way out and the Quebecer who could only see the damage, on one leg.