Laval’s Leylah Annie Fernandez was named Tennis Canada Player of the Year, Singles Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.
Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa was once again named doubles player of the year, while Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., Was named junior player of the year.
Men’s honors will be revealed on Wednesday.
“Tennis fans around the world will never forget Leylah’s incredible journey to the United States Open final,” Tennis Canada president and CEO said in a statement. Her post-match speech made us see a player more mature than her age and left no one indifferent. “
Fernandez is the winner of the Player of the Year award for the second time in a row. In 2021, the 19-year-old had an extraordinary season on the WTA tour, including winning her first title in March at the tournament in Monterrey, Mexico. She was also instrumental in Team Canada’s 4-0 victory over Serbia in the Billie Jean King Cup play-off in April with two singles wins.
However, it was his exhilarating journey to the US Open final that will be forever remembered. At Flushing Meadows, Fernandez surprised the world by knocking out four seeds, including three seeded in the top five – Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka – to reach the championship game before losing to Emma Raducanu. Fernandez ends the year at 24e world rank, a personal peak.
Dabrowski, who rose to fifth place in the doubles for the first time in her career in October, has once again shone on the WTA Tour. The 29-year-old has made four WTA Finals and was a semifinalist at the US Open. Alongside her partner, Luisa Stefani, the Canadian won the double honors in the National Bank Open, with a victory in the final at the expense of sixth seeded Andreja Klepač and Darija Jurak Schreiber.
Finally, Mboko occupies the 32e rank in the ITF junior rankings despite being 15 years old. She collected three titles in 2021 – in Tashkent, Santo Domingo and Las Vegas – in addition to participating in three other finals.