MANILA – As the WTA Tour’s Middle East swing comes to an end, 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez thanked those who cheered for her in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, including her fellow Pinoys.

“I’m super happy to be here for the very first time in Dubai,” the 20-year-old Canadian with Filipino and Ecuadorian roots said in a statement from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (DDFTC).

“I’ve played in Abu Dhabi and Doha, too, and always felt great support from fellow Canadians, Filipinos, and even some South Americans. I’m proud to be representing all three nations; it is amazing and gives me more motivation. We definitely can’t complain about the atmosphere in Dubai.”

Fernandez’s mother, Irene, was born in Canada to Pinoy parents while her father, Jorge, was born in Ecuador.

• READ: Leylah Fernandez’s father thanks Filipino Canadian fans for their support

At the DDFTC on Thursday, Fernandez partnered with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands for a quarterfinal finish against Russians Liudmila Samsonova and Veronika Kudermetova, 5-7, 5-7.

The Canadian-American tandem eked out two deciding-set wins on their way to the Dubai quarters.

In the singles draw of the WTA 1000 event, Fernandez suffered a 1-6, 1-6 loss in the second round versus World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland.

Ahead of her clash with the three-time grand slam champion, Fernandez remarked about the support she got after her 6-4, 6-2 first-round win over Austrian Julia Grabher.

“I enjoyed the atmosphere. l loved the crowd and the way they were cheering for us,” said the World No. 37 with two WTA singles titles.

The DDFTC highlighted the Pinoy community’s “strong support” for Fernandez, who mentioned that adobo is her favorite among her lolo’s (grandfather) home-cooked Filipino dishes.

“Leylah is very inspiring for us Filipinos,” said tennis coach Janice Eulilan. “In the Philippines, tennis is not so accessible and we don’t get much support or chances to excel in sports internationally. For that reason, even if Leylah is Canadian, we were always going to claim her as one of our own.”

• READ: Why the world has fallen in love with Fil-Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez

Since her surprise stellar run to the women’s singles final of the 2021 US Open, UAE’s Pinoy Tennis Enthusiasts Group (PinTEG) said that it noticed a sharp increase in interest in the sport.

“We have a public court in Al Qusais and it’s not unusual now to see Filipinos arriving at 5 a.m. to play, and we still have people on court at midnight. It has not always been like this. When we found out Leylah was coming, everyone was telling me we need to go watch her and show our support,” shared PinTEG president Cedric Albao.

Another Pinoy fan is Hannibal Honculada, who also watched Fernandez earlier this month at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

“All the Filipinos here are supporting Leylah – there are too many of us,” he exclaimed. “We are all so happy to have her here with us in Dubai for the first time. I’ve been following her career since she reached the final of the US Open in 2021 and I was so excited when I heard she was coming. Now, I just hope she comes every year, so we can watch her again.”

In the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, Fernandez was a qualifier who exited the opening round. She also went out in the first round of the doubles tournament.

She proceeded to Doha for the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which featured her in the qualifiers. She was defeated in the qualifying third round by former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic.

The last stop of her Middle East campaign was Dubai, where she took part in the WTA’s 50th anniversary celebration at the DDFTC.

“Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the WTA here in Dubai means a lot to me. I am super honored and proud to be a part of the WTA and to hopefully inspire young women to achieve their dreams. I think the WTA has been doing a great job in the past few years. It has a long way to go, but we are on the right track,” commented Fernandez, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 13 in August.

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