Tennis Canada – Teenager becomes first Canadian to win the junior crown in Paris
 
Montreal, June 8, 2019 – Leylah Annie Fernandez made history as she became the first Canadian to claim the Junior French Open title with victory over Emma Navarro of the United States on Saturday.
 
The 16 year old, No. 1 seed had suffered heartbreak just a few months ago when she lost in the final of the Junior Australian Open – but there was no repeat performance in Paris as the left-handed youngster from Laval, Quebec put on a polished display to beat Navarro 6-3, 6-2.
 
In becoming a Junior Grand Slam champion, Fernandez followed in the footsteps of Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov – both of whom are performing well on the ATP Tour and currently sit in the world’s top 25 having won titles on the junior circuit first.
 
It’s been a terrific year so far for Fernandez. Her Australian Open final appearance back in January was followed by a call up to Canada’s Fed Cup team to face reigning champions Czech Republic in April. There, the youngster held her own despite losing to Marketa Vondrousova, currently ranked No. 38 on the WTA Tour, in Prostejov.
 
In Paris, Fernandez was flawless as she went through the entire tournament without dropping a set and without needing a tiebreak. In the final, the teenager broke Navarro twice in the first set and three times in the second set to claim an impressive victory as well as the trophy.
 
Canadian players have previously enjoyed victories in Junior Grand Slam events at Wimbledon, where Eugenie Bouchard (2012), Filip Peliwo (2012) and Shapovalov (2016) claimed the crown, and the US Open, where Peliwo (2012) and Auger-Aliassime (2016) were successful.
 
Fernandez’s win at the Junior French Open marked the first time since 2004 that the top seed had won the tournament.
 
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 9 professional ITF sanctioned events and financially supports 13 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
 
Media Contacts:
 
Valerie Tetreault
Director, Communications
514-273-1515 ext. 6259 or vtetreault@tenniscanada.com
                  
Victoria Jaklin
Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
514-273-1515 ext. 6291 or vjaklin@tenniscanada.com  
 
Oliver Wheeler
Coordinator, Communications
416-665-9777 ext. 4545 or owheeler@tenniscanada.com