After her attention-grabbing run in the US Open 2021, Canadian Leylah Fernandez can officially say she’s feeling like a million bucks after pocketing $1,250,000 (USD) or P62,368,750 worth of prize money.
The 19-year-old Canadian, who has a Filipina mother, had earned $786,772 in official prize money during her short career, before the New York stint.
“I can just say I’m proud of myself and happy with the way I fought,” Fernandez added.
Grand Champion Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, took home $2,500,000 or P124,737,500 for her win, and had previously made $303,376 in her own career.
Aside from the huge money, other commercial deals that Fernandez and Raducanu will most likely sign because of their remarkable feats.
Despite falling short from 18-year-old British Raducanu, Fernandez ended up making more money for her US Open run than she had in the rest of her career combined.
“I’m glad that I’ve discovered that of myself, that I play a lot better when I’m more outgoing and when I’m using the crowd to my advantage,” Fernandez said.
She is quickly becoming the face of Canadian tennis as the teenager is gaining new fans with every tournament, especially during the US Open that included wins over top seeds Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2), Naomi Osaka (No. 3), Evita Svitolina (No. 5), and Angelique Kerber (No. 16).
Born in Montreal, Canada, Fernandez is a left-handed player using a two-handed backhand.
She is currently endorsed by Nike and Babolat for her apparel and equipment needs respectively.
Before carving his name in New York, Fernandez has also won 1 WTA title from the two finals she has contested in. She won the 2021 Monterrey Open in Mexico and was the runner up at the 2020 Mexican Open. She has three titles on the ITF circuit, one Singles and two Doubles titles. She was also the runner-up at the 2019 Australian Open Juniors Singles and was the winner of the 2019 French Open Junior Singles.IMT Sports
