Semifinals: ‘The tough part is ahead’ for Fernandez

Leylah Fernandez swooped into the U.S. Open with so little fanfare that tennis observers were barely paying attention to the young Canadian in the early days of the tournament.

But then the world No. 73 beat four-time major champion Naomi Osaka in the third round last Friday — and followed that up with wins against Angelique Kerber and Elina Svitolina — and the perception of Fernandez began to change.

“None of us had Leylah Fernandez as our pick, none of us,” said Pam Shriver, an analyst on the U.S. Open’s ESPN broadcast and a former world No. 3. “That win against Osaka immediately put us on alert.

“There’s a further degree of belief when you see a young player back up one great win with another. … I can’t even begin to (predict) her ability to back this up but let’s just enjoy this.”

Fernandez plays No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on Thursday, a player that Tennis Canada national coach Sylvain Bruneau described as “a bulldozer on the court.”

Fernandez will have to dig deep to defeat the 5-foot-11 Sabalenka, Bruneau said, but she’s got the potential to do it.

“It’s not going to be easy … the tough part is ahead of her. But I do really believe deep down that Leylah has a good chance,” Bruneau said.

Fernandez, who turned 19 this week, has helped ignite a youth movement Shriver said has been welcome in a tournament missing three of its top stars in Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The lefthander from Laval, Que., has won over the electric U.S. Open crowd with her joyful smile and the way she raises her arms to encourage cheers after big points.

“She’s inviting them in, saying ‘Come on, get behind me,’ ” Shriver said.