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American Doubles Legend Accuses Leylah Fernandez of On-Court Coaching During US Open 2021 Semifinals Against Aryna Sabalenka

Published 09/09/2021, 11:00 PM EDT

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Headlining tonight’s US Open action was the Canadian sensation, Leylah Fernandez. The 19-year-old phenomenon took on Belarusian star, Aryna Sabalenka, in the semi-finals of the tournament. However, as the two giants locked horns, the youngster found herself at the heart of controversy with accusations galore.

Playing the biggest match of her career so far, Leylah left no stone unturned in outclassing her opponent. Putting on yet another emphatic display, she ran a riot on the court, beating her opponent in a thrilling 3-setter. Doing so, she became the youngest player to qualify for a Grand Slam final since Maria Sharapova in 2004 at Wimbledon.

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However, her win has also sparked a controversy, with tennis legend, Pam Shriver, adding cheating allegations on the Canadian youngster.

WATCH STORY: Top Seeds Naomi Osaka, John Isner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Others Who Faced Huge Upsets at US Open

Can Leylah Fernandez be in trouble?

Post her triumphant win, Leylah opened up on how important her family’s presence was to her victory. However, former American tennis player, Pam Shriver was not happy about the same. Notably, she accused the 19-year-old of receiving on-court coaching from her coach, who was seated in her box.

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She said, “Three points ago there was a clear ‘calm down’ with the hands. I mean you think about what happened here three years ago. Any kind of hand signal that puts a message across is coaching, it wasn’t encouragement.”

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USA Today via Reuters

How far beyond true these allegations are, remains to be seen. However, as of now, the Canadian is the talk of the town, as she marches into the finals of the tournament. En route to history, she beat Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.

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“My Dad Used Steve Nash as An Example”: Leylah Fernandez Credits NBA Legend For Inspiring Historic US Open 2021 Victory

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Written by:

Melroy Fernandes

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Melroy Joseph Fernandes is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. A Mass Media graduate, Melroy has been a content writer for the past 6 years, curating stories for several brands, starting from his own. At the age of 17, Melroy began his writing Journey with Team BIB, an event management company for everything Art and Entertainment.
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