Leylah Fernandez has now revealed the mid-match advice she received from her coach, which helped her to knock Jessica Pegula out of the Washington Open.
It was an inspired, battling performance from the Canadian, who had to overcome a solid fightback from her opponent after taking the first set.
Conceding the second set, the 22-year-old would have been justified had she struggled to regain her momentum for the decider.
However, she did anything but, showcasing her grit to grind out a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 win.
Fernandez deserves so much credit for dumping out the top seed to reach the quarter-finals, but so does her coach, for the advice offered mid-match.
Leylah Fernandez reveals her coach’s mid-match advice
Asked by reporters how she managed the various shifts in momentum, particularly in the second and third sets, Fernandez started by stating: “It wasn’t really tactically. I mean, Jessie, she kind of took advantage of the points, so some double faults, I think I did an average of two double faults per game, so that didn’t really help. Second serve, she just took advantage.
“She was, like, a dog and a bone, I would say. I mean, it’s sports, so she saw an opening, she went for it, and I started kind of pushing the ball, not being as aggressive or offensive as I was in the first set and in the beginning of the second.
“At the end of the second set, my dad just told me, my coach just told me, to let a couple ones go, you’re already using it, so I was just glad I was able to do that.
“The third set, I was able to kind of change my mentality into a more positive mindset.”
She then touched on her performance as a whole, continuing: “Yes, very pleased with how I played, how I competed. That’s the most important thing. There was definitely a moment where the momentum changed, and I think I was getting a little too frustrated.
“So not only the crowd was there, but also my coach was there to kind of keep me positive, especially in the third set. I’m just glad that worked out, and we just gotta keep going with this good groove.”
Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu continue to mirror one another
Fernandez and Emma Raducanu’s careers will seemingly forever be linked, given the manner in which they met in the 2021 US Open final.
Pitting two teenagers against one another for a major title, it was the Brit who came out on top, but has failed to kick on following that.
Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images
Alas, the Canadian has hardly enjoyed success herself, with both of these youngsters likely having struggled under the weight of the pressure that their Grand Slam final brought.
She does have three WTA titles, but is yet to enjoy another major run like that 2021 fairytale.
The irony of their shared performance at the Washington Open is that, upon reaching this stage, they are into the quarter-finals of the same hard-court tournament for the first time since the 2021 US Open.
Raducanu has just beaten Naomi Osaka in their first-ever meeting to reach that stage, with both snagging scalps to get where they are.