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Leylah Fernandez defended her Monterrey Open title on Sunday with a comeback, 6-7(5), 4-6, 7-6(3) victory over Camila Osorio. The match was just eight minutes shy of the three-hour mark with the Canadian needing to fend five match points en route to her win.
Both players were bidding to win a WTA title for the second time in their careers. While Osorio was looking to add to her Bogota title from last year, Fernandez was seeking to win her 10th consecutive match alongside the trophy in the Mexican event.
This was also the first time the two players were facing each other on the WTA tour after having a rivalry on the junior tour, all of which came at the Junior Majors. Fernandez held a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head in the junior circuit, winning both of their matches that came at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019.
The lone match that Osorio won against Fernandez came at Flushing Meadows in 2018.
Monterrey Open: Leylah Fernandez's memorable week
Post-match, Fernandez acknowledged the effort of her opponent in pushing her to the brink.
“Today it was a very, very tough match, not only physically or tennis-wise, but mentally. Camila, she’s a tough player to play against. She’s very crafty, she does slices, high balls, it’s very unpredictable.
I’m very, very happy to have gone through these hard moments, and have fought, found solutions. And Camila, I hope we have many, many more finals like this, because without her, I don’t think this tournament, this final, would be (as) special.
In terms of rankings, despite her loss in the final of the Monterrey Open, Camila Osorio marked a new milestone for herself as she climbed nine spots to clinch a new career-high of no. 35 in the world. Entering the tournament, she was ranked 44th in the world. Leylah Fernandez meanwhile retained her place as the world no. 21. Photo Credit: Leylah Fernandez Twitter