A standing ovation greeted Leylah Fernandez as she left the court after her 6-4, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka in the Canadian Open round of 16. Though the defeat ended her run, the home crowd applauded her effort, and Fernandez smiled and waved before walking off. Osaka herself praised Fernandez’s game and attitude, calling her “very amazing” in her post-match press conference.

“I mean, I feel like everyone knows her game style,” Osaka said in the post-match press conference. “Like, it’s the reason why she is where she is. That and her attitude. I think she’s very amazing in that way. But on my end, I would say, like, the first time that I played her in New York, I remember I didn’t know anything about her. I felt very panicked because I was defending that tournament, but also just because she came in very quickly.”

Osaka struck early, breaking in the third game, but Fernandez fought back to level at 2-2. The Japanese star broke again for 4-3 and held firm to close the set 6-4.

In the second, both players held serve until 3-3, when Osaka seized another break. She finished with 15 winners to just one unforced error, sealing the match in 82 minutes.

This win gave Osaka a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head, having also beaten Fernandez last year in Wuhan (4-6, 7-5, 6-3). For Fernandez, the loss capped a tough week: she and her sister Bianca Fernandez fell in the doubles first round to Diana Shnaider and Elise Mertens.

Leylah Fernandez’s Underwhelming Form Continues

The defeat continues a difficult season for Leylah. She now sits at 13-20, with her best showing a Madrid quarterfinal.

Leylah first suffered an opening round exit in the Australian Open against Janice Tjen (6-2, 7-6), then fell to Alycia Parks at Roland Garros (6-4, 6-4), and again to Tjen at Wimbledon (6-1, 7-6). She also lost in the second round of the Citi Open to eventual champion Alexandra Eala.

Still, Toronto offered glimpses of promise. Fernandez opened with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Renata Zarazua, then stunned French Open champion Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in one of her best performances of the year. Though she fell short against Osaka, the Andreeva upset and the home crowd’s ovation may restore confidence heading into the upcoming hard-court events.