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

The Canadian tennis phenom is taking this year's U.S. Open by storm, becoming the youngest woman to reach the semifinals in 16 years.

Transcript

NOEL KING, HOST:

At every major tennis tournament, a rising star has a chance to become, well, a risen star. This year, it's Leylah Fernandez. She's Canadian, and she turned 19 on Sunday.

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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Moments of magical inspiration from the Canadian - brings her to match point.

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KING: Last night, she became the youngest woman to reach the U.S. Open semifinals in 16 years after beating the heavy favorite, Elina Svitolina, in three sets.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The daughter of an Ecuadorian father, a Filipino Canadian mother, Fernandez told ESPN she credits her dad for inspiration.

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

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MARTIN: Leylah's dad has been coaching her since she was 6 years old. He says he was inspired by Richard Williams, Venus and Serena's dad who coached them. She has beat two former U.S. Open champions so far. She'll face a third in the semifinal tomorrow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.