Leylah Fernandez has yet to turn 20, but she is now officially in the WTA Top 20. Fernandez, who is only 19 years old, is now ranked 19 in the world – her highest career ranking. The news comes even after a disappointing Australian Open that saw her fall in the first round, and an Adelaide International that saw her eliminated in the second round.
Fernandez has been steadily climbing in the ranking in the past year, with her first tournament win in 2021, as well as a run to the US Open Final. She has also done well when it comes to sponsorships, signing a deal to be Lululemon’s first tennis brand ambassador.
The WTA ranking doesn’t feature many Latin American players, with only Colombia’s Camila Osorio, ranked 49 and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia cracking the Top 100.
Fernandez hasn’t announced where she will be playing next, though the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship and the Qatar Totalenergies Open are the biggest tournaments left in February.
Even if she participates in neither of those, though, she’s likely to play in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, both taking place in March. Those two tournaments close out the hardcourt season for now, before the Tour turns to clay in the leadup to the French Open, which will be played at the end of May.
Fernandez won the Junior Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2019.