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Fernandez earns important career building block with first WTA title – Sportsnet.ca

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Leylah Annie Fernandez always believed she could achieve big things in the sport of tennis. Sunday evening’s performance in Mexico was simply another stepping stone for the budding teenager from Quebec.

Fernandez defeated Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour, 29 minutes to capture her first career WTA title at the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey.

It was just her second career final, but Fernandez leaned on prior experiences, to help her get through and find a way to win.

“Last year, I lost in a final in Acapulco. This year, I tried to use those emotions I felt from last time as fuel so that I could get the win,” Fernandez said after the match. “It definitely helped today.”

From the outset, the left-hander imposed her quick strike, baseline game to disrupt the Swiss veteran. After navigating a long opening service game, Fernandez promptly raced out to an early 5-0 lead in the first set.

Golubic finally halted the momentum by holding serve, before Fernandez served out the first.

In the second set, the far more competitive of the two, Fernandez and Golubic battled to a 4-all tie, before the Canadian converted a crucial break of serve, her fourth of the match.

She then comfortably closed the match out on serve, sealing the victory in dazzling fashion by winning a thrilling 11 shot exchange that ended at net, hitting a forehand winner into the open court.

Fernandez reflected on her big victory after the match, and overcoming an experienced player on the other side of the court. “I knew that Viktorija came from a final recently,” Fernandez said. “She was playing incredibly at the beginning of the year. I just tried to focus on myself, tried to keep playing my game.”

That game was one of precise aggression.

Fernandez played tight to the baseline throughout the match, neutralizing Golubic’s heavy spin by attacking early and often.

She took time and space away from the 28-year-old Swiss veteran, ending points at net with ease, like in this great exchange here.

Fernandez was also able to hold her nerve on serve, staving off four of the five break point chances Golubic saw, and winning 41 of 67 service points overall.

“I’m happy with the way that I was able to stay in the present moment, and not really wander into the future, or stay in the past,” said Fernandez.

There have been numerous building blocks laid down by the young Canadian in her steady ascent as a professional. In June of 2019 at the age of 16, she won the French Open Junior Singles Final.

Early 2020, Fernandez qualified for her first major, debuting at the Australian Open. A month later, she posted her first career top 10 win, defeating Belinda Bencic, then reached her first career final, with a run in Acapulco, Mexico.

After a lengthy COVID-19 hiatus from both tours, Fernandez returned in strong form too, making the round of 16 in Lexington, Kentucky, winning a main draw match at the US Open, and then advancing to the third round of the French Open.

With this title in Monterrey, Fernandez now moves up 19 spots to 69th in the WTA rankings as of Monday. She will not have much time to rest on her laurels either.

Fernandez now travels to Florida to compete in the Miami Open, where she is seeded second in the qualifying field. There was only one wish left unfulfilled for the 18-year-old after lifting her maiden title. An embrace with Mom and Dad.

“I was a bit sad… We can’t celebrate as a family, and it was a family effort for years. But I was happy that all of the hard work, the sacrifices that we’ve made since the beginning is paying off,” Fernandez said.

“I’m hoping there will be many more, and next time my family can be with me every step of the way in the tournament.”

With Fernandez’s penchant for milestones, it’s possible we won’t have to wait too long for another.

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Whitecaps, Timbers to face off in play-in match in Portland

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps will begin their post-season campaign with a play-in game against the Timbers in Portland on Wednesday.

The ‘Caps (13-13-8) ended the regular season with a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday and finished eighth in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings.

The eighth and ninth spots from each conference meet in a play-in game this week, with the winner going on to face the No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs.

Each eighth-place team was set to host the play-in game, but Vancouver announced Friday that its home stadium, B.C. Place, is not available, so the club will cede home-field advantage to Portland (12-11-11), the ninth-place team.

The ‘Caps and Timbers split their three-game series during regular-season play, with each side taking a win, a loss and a draw.

The first round of the MLS playoffs is set to begin next weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Real Salt Lake beats visiting Whitecaps 2-1 to set single-season club record for points

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SANDY, Utah (AP) — Diego Luna scored a tying goal in the 73rd minute and Real Salt Lake added another on an own goal for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night to set a single-season club record for points.

Real Salt Lake (16-7-11) secured the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and will face Minnesota in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs. RSL reached 59 points this season, topping the 2012 team with 57.

Vancouver (13-13-8) will play the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in a wild-card game for a chance to play top-seeded LAFC.

Luna settled a long cross from Braian Ojeda before taking four touches to slot home a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season.

RSL went ahead in the 83rd when Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer misplayed a lofted ball that rolled into the back of the net.

Vancouver midfielder Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 58th to become the first player in club history to produce multiple seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

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Juan Soto’s 3-run homer in 10th sends Yankees past Guardians 5-2 and into World Series for 41st time

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Juan Soto’s arrival last winter was supposed to be that move that pushed the New York Yankees back to the top.

They’re one step away.

Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series — and first in 15 years — by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night.

Baseball’s biggest brand is going back to October’s main stage.

Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade from San Diego in December, pushed the Bronx Bombers into position with one big swing.

This was why he came, for this moment and for so many more.

“We’re right where we belong,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who pulled off the deal for Soto.

The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series is on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

In the third consecutive tight game in three nights at Progressive Field, Austin Wells walked with one out in the 10th and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft toss to the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.

Hunter Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto in a 1-2 count before New York’s stylish outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and paused to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.

“I was just saying to myself, `You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” said Soto, who moved alongside his manager, Aaron Boone, as the only New York players to homer in an extra-inning, series-clinching win.

Luke Weaver got the final three outs with Lane Thomas flying out for the last one, which was caught by Soto.

“We get to play for a world championship,” Boone said. “That’s pretty sweet.”

The 25-year-old Soto is eligible for free agency this winter, and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame festivities. He’s expected to get a contract upwards of $600 million, and his heroics in Game 5 may have raised his price.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer and was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees took care of the Guardians in five games. It wasn’t easy.

New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or any major drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland as all three games at Progressive Field were nail-biters.

The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.

“This was a rollercoaster and we were able to just keep punching back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s much more work to do and it’s only uphill from here and we got to get it done.”

Cleveland just didn’t have enough and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise remains without a title since 1948, baseball’s current longest drought.

“There’s only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it’s not going to be us,” Vogt said. “But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We just didn’t get quite as far as we wanted to.”

The Yankees are back in the World Series, back where their fans expect them to be every year.

The club’s 82-80, fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” during the winter, according to Boone, who has been widely criticized but is one of just three managers to take New York to playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.

While the team’s core stayed mostly intact, getting Soto in a blockbuster trade on Dec. 7 — New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star — accelerated the team returning to title contender.

“That was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.

Stanton’s 446-foot rocket into the left-field bleachers tied it at 2 in the sixth and chased Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York’s dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings.

It was Stanton’s fourth homer in this series — his third in three days — and his 16th in the postseason, moving him into fourth place on the club’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).

Before the game, Boone was asked what makes Stanton so good.

“He can hit it harder than anyone, first of all,” Boone said. “So there’s the physical nature of what he does that’s different than just about everyone in the world.”

But Boone went on to compliment Stanton’s discipline at the plate, “his approach, his process, how he studies guys.”

“There’s something that he does when he gets familiarity with people on top of being very physically gifted,” Boone said.

The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth off Carlos Rodón on Steven Kwan’s RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance for more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas grounded out on the first pitch to him from Mark Leiter Jr.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (elbow strain) had another successful live batting practice session. The reliever remains on track to join the Yankees on their World Series roster. Boone said Cortes would throw again early next week. Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts.

___

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