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Leylah lives!
The fighting, joyful spirit of teenaged lefty Leylah Fernandez will carry on to the U.S. Open semifinals as for the third straight match she knocked out a potent seed in three wild sets.
Down went former U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka. Down went former US Open champion Angelique Kerber in three sets. And now down in a third-set tiebreaker goes Elina Svitolina, the fifth seed and one of the tour’s hottest players.
“Thanks to the New York crowd, fighting for me and never giving up on me,’’ Fernandez told the fans in stands. “Thanks to you, I was able to push through.’’
The speedy Canadian who just turned 19 has become an overnight tennis star as she posted yet another upset, taking out the screeching Svitolina of Ukraine in Tuesday’s thrilling three-setter 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) at raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The unseeded southpaw out of Montreal ran the ever consistent 26-year-old Svitolina around the court with her magical lefty angles and pounced on Svitolina’s second serve, including a key forehand return-of-service winner in the deciding tiebreak to seize momentum and go up 4-1. She needed a running forehand winner down the line at 5-5 to set up match point. Svitolina went long on the next ball.
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