The title of the Abierto GNP Seguros de Monterrey will remain in the hands of the Next Gen. Leylah Fernández and Camila Osorio, 19 and 20 years old, respectively, will go in search of the second title of their careers in the final on Sunday.
“I am very happy that we are two young players in a final and that we are playing good tennis. We want to make an impact in the WTA, reach the top 10 or the top 5. That shows the level that the new generation brings”, said the Canadian Fernández, champion of the 2021 edition of the Monterrey Open, after beating the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semi-final.
Although this will be the first confrontation between the two on the WTA tour, Fernández and Osorio have known each other since the youth circuits, where their careers had already been projected. In her time as a junior, the Colombian Camila Osorio reached the number one position in the world ranking and won the junior United States Open in 2019. That same year, Leylah won Roland Garros in the juniors category and was a finalist in the Australian Open in the same category.
“It is beautiful, we have lived through the youth stage, we went through all the tournaments in South America, the ITF, then the youth Grand Slams and now we are competing in a WTA final. It is very motivating to see that we are doing things well, that we are in the process. We are just starting our careers and there is a long way to go but I think we are doing well”, said the Colombian after beating the Spanish Nuria Párrizas in the semifinal duel.
To access the final, the players beat tennis players with a long history on the circuit, one of them, Elina Svitolina, 27, holder of 16 WTA titles, current number 15 in the world, but who in 2017 became the Number Three. The Ukrainian was defeated by the Colombian in a high-intensity quarterfinal match.
Since she won the WTA 250 tournament in her country, Osorio has become a recurring player in the top positions of tournaments in that category; She has played the semifinal of the last eight WTA 250 in which she has participated, which has propelled her to be the best-seeded Latina on the WTA circuit, she is ranked number 44 in the world but as of Monday, after the update of the ranking, it will be located within the best 40 and the objective will be to continue climbing.
A similar goal has Fernández, a player of Ecuadorian descent, who, aware of her ability, wants to be in the top ten this year, win more titles and be able to play in the Finals. However, she is not obsessed, she knows that the results will only come to the extent that she has fun on the track.
“It is very important that each player of the new generation always enjoys herself on the tennis court, that they are not under pressure and always have a smile. I am very happy to be part of that group and that soon there will be more players in the top 100, top 50 and in the top ten”, said the Canadian, who is currently ranked 21st.
The last time Fernández played a WTA final was at the US Open of the highest category last year, where she fell to Britain’s Emma Raducanu, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth, but at the same time she uses that memory as motivation. to search for the title that was denied.
“I remember my last final and it was very disappointing, I still have that in my mind and I’m going to use it to play a good game, have fun on the court and hopefully win, but I won’t put pressure on myself.”
