19-Year-Old Leylah Fernandez Is Captivating U.S. Open Watchers

Nineteen-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada is in the spotlight at the U.S. Open in New York.

She's headed to Thursday's semifinals after beating yet another star player, Elina Svitolina, after besting Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber.

Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, is the youngest woman to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Maria Sharapova in 2005.

A U.S. Open recap described Fernandez as having "a veteran-like ability to reset at the crucial moments."

Fernandez, the daughter of an Ecuadorian father and Filipino-Canadian mother, told ESPN she credits her dad for inspiration. He's been coaching her since she was 6 years old.

"Today he told me to go out there, have fun, fight for every ball, fight for every point," she said. " 'Today's your first quarterfinals, don't make it your last. Don't make it your last match over here. Fight for your dream.' "

She's already beat two former U.S. Open champions, and will face off against a third on Thursday, Aryna Sabalenka.

Watch highlights from her quarterfinal match here:

Folks are taking notice:

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.