The 21-year-old from Laval, Quebec, entered this year’s National Bank Open with high expectations to perform well on home turf. However, a 6-4, 6-2 upset loss on Thursday to unseeded 20-year-old Ashlyn Krueger highlighted the difficulties Fernandez has had in recapturing the success she achieved on the WTA Tour in 2021.
“You all saw the match. It wasn’t my best,” Fernandez admitted to reporters in Toronto after winning a women’s doubles match with her sister Bianca in the round of 16 on Thursday. “From start to finish, I missed opportunities. I had a few break points early and late in the sets but couldn’t capitalize. I should’ve played more aggressively, but mentally and physically, I just wasn’t there.”
These struggles in the second round followed a tough match the day before, where Fernandez struggled to close out No. 151-ranked Nao Hibino in two sets, eventually needing a tiebreaker to advance from the round of 64.
When Fernandez first made waves in professional tennis at 18, winning the Monterrey Open and reaching the U.S. Open final, she showed glimpses of potential that suggested she could become a dominant force on the sport’s biggest stages.
However, in the last 10 major tournaments, she has reached the quarterfinals just once—at the 2022 French Open.
Just a week before the National Bank Open, Fernandez reached the round of 16 at the Paris Olympics before losing to Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
Currently ranked 25th in women’s singles, with a career-high of No. 13 in August 2022, Fernandez has still achieved success, winning three singles titles and maintaining an overall record of 184-119.
As she prepares for the upcoming U.S. Open in New York later this month, Fernandez is focusing on improving various aspects of her game to return to top form.
“We’re working on every part of my game, not just my serve. We’re focusing on the forehand, the backhand. The serve has been challenging over the past few years, but it has improved significantly since I started working with my dad. We just have to keep trusting the process.”
