Leylah Fernandez holds the finalist trophy after her match against Emma Raducanu of Great Britainn the women’s singles final on day thirteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
MANILA, Philippines—Leylah Fernandez was named as one of the nominees for Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2021 WTA Player Awards.
The 19-year-old will compete for the award against Maria Sakkari, Barbora Krejcikova, Ons Jabeur, Anett Kontaveit, Paula Badosa, and Jessica Pegula.
Fernandez was born in Canada to a Filipino-Canadian mother and an Ecuadorian father.
Despite losing to Emma Raducanu in the US Open finals, Fernandez had an historic run of wins that included victories over Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Aryna Sabalenka in New York.
Raducano, meanwhile, was nominated for the WTA Player of the Year award after her title run in the US Open.
She’s in contention for the award with WTA no.1 Ashleigh Barty, Krejcikova, Osaka, Garbine Muruguza, Sabalenka, and Isa Swiatek.