Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez marches into US Open third round

Filipino-Canadian sensation Leylah Fernandez rallied from a shaky start to defeat France’s Elsa Jacquemot 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the 2025 US Open Wednesday night, earning herself a blockbuster third-round showdown with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Seeded 31st, the 22-year-old Laval native struggled with her serve in the opening set—winning just 42% of her first-serve points—yet she recalibrated and fed off the raucous crowd. 

Fernandez held serve with newfound composure and broke Jacquemot three times, sealing the win in just over two hours with a commanding 41 winners to the Frenchwoman’s 24.

Despite the brisk 21 °C (69 °F) evening air, Fernandez looked composed—wiping sweat and celebrating key points with resolve. 

 Now awaiting a rematch with Sabalenka—who she famously upset in the 2021 US Open semifinal before advancing to the final—Fernandez enters the third round buoyed by momentum.

It was a nail-biter, but Leylah Fernandez came through!#USOpen pic.twitter.com/hreEEbZnyE

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) August 28, 2025

Her 2025 run comes on the heels of her most significant career triumph yet: winning the Washington Open, a WTA 500 event, in July. 

She crushed Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final, earning her first WTA 500 title by overcoming top-15 adversaries like Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina along the way .

Beyond singles, Fernandez is also turning heads in doubles—pairing with legend Venus Williams in the doubles draw.

 The wildcard duo stunned sixth seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in a Louis Armstrong Stadium classic, marking Venus’s first women’s doubles win at the US Open since 2014.

Looking at her career thus far; Fernandez reached No. 13 in the WTA singles rankings (August 2022) and is currently ranked around No. 33.     

Her breakthrough came as a 19-year-old finalist at the 2021 US Open, where she defeated three top-5 players en route to the final before narrowly falling to Emma Raducanu. She also claimed the 2019 French Open girls’ singles title and has powered Canada to its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup triumph.

OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.