Talk about a dream team. Leylah Fernandez and Coco Gauff – 19 and 17 respectively – advanced to the next round of the BNP Paribas Open after beating Irina-Camelia Begu and Renata Voráčová in straight sets.
Fernandez and Gauff, who had not been announced as doubles partners before the tournament, took the court to the surprise and delight of fans, who all soon flooded the court they were set to play on. Both teenage superstars: Fernandez won her first WTA title at the 2021 Monterrey Open and recently gained notoriety for reaching the U.S. Open singles Final. Gauff, meanwhile, has won two WTA tour singles titles and three doubles titles and also made headlines for reaching the U.S. Open final – on the doubles side.
The teens displayed a great level of dominance and teamwork. They broke the Begu-Voracoca duo early and then leaned into Gauff’s accurate serve and great baseline defense from Fernandez to continue to dominate the match, which lasted a while little less than an hour.
Everyone’s eyes were firmly on Fernandez at this year’s U.S. Open as she had a remarkable run, and she made history on the women’s side of the tournament. The athlete cemented her place as one of the most interesting faces to watch in a sport where most stars are anything but young. She went into the U.S. Open unseeded and had to defeat two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka and 2016 champ Angelique Kerber to even get to the quarterfinals.
Fernandez and Gauff are also set the play on the singles side of the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday, October 9.
