Fernandez storms into Doha quarters, bundles out No. 5 Zheng

MANILA, Philippines – Leylah Fernandez, enjoying top form, delivered a stunning upset against No. 5 Qinwen Zheng of China, 7-5, 6-3, to barge into the quarterfinal round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha Wednesday.

The Filipino-Canadian flashed resilience and determination, battling back from 3-5 down in the opening frame by rattling off five straight games, including a crucial break in the 12th to clinch the set.

The Chinese tried to assert her dominance with powerful baseline shots, but the game Fernandez proved undeterred, absorbing every challenge thrown at her.

Fernandez, who broke into the world tennis consciousness with a strong runner-up finish in the 2021 US Women’s Open, then seized control in the sixth game with a crucial break off a backhand return before capitalizing on a big forehand to establish a commanding a 4-2 lead.

She never gave Zheng a chance to stage a comeback, surrendering just one point in her last two service turns.

The victory marked another significant step for Fernandez after pulling off reversals over No. 12 Liudmila Samsonova and former world No. 2 Paula Badosa in the preceding rounds of the $3.2 million tournament.

“We’ve been working a lot on staying positive in tough moments, trying to change the mentality from negative to positive,” said Fernandez of her team. “Especially, 3-5 down, I looked at my box and they looked at me and pointed to their head and I knew exactly what they meant.”

She also expressed gratitude to her supporters, saying: “I saw supporters waving Canadian and Filipino flags…thank you and salamat.”

But the 21-year-old Fernandez faces a formidable test in her next match, squaring off with seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan Friday for a spot in her first WTA 1000 semifinal.