Leylah Fernandez is back on home soil with a familiar challenge: handling expectations while trying to build momentum at the National Bank Open. As Canada’s top-ranked woman in the draw, she enters Toronto as a player the crowd will track closely from the first ball to the last.
A second-round match with real weight
Fernandez, 23, will face Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa in the second round at Sobeys Stadium, with the match set for no earlier than 7:00 p.m. ET. The Canadian received a first-round bye as the No. 30 seed, while Zarazúa had to earn her place in the matchup by winning her opening contest.
This is the kind of draw that can look favorable on paper but still carry plenty of risk. Fernandez has the ranking edge, the crowd behind her, and the benefit of being rested, but Zarazúa is a composed opponent who can turn a match physical very quickly.
What Toronto usually means for Fernandez
Fernandez has become one of the most recognizable figures in Canadian tennis since her run to the 2021 US Open final, and her style naturally fits the kind of emotional atmosphere that home events create. She competes with intensity, chases down balls that other players might not reach, and tends to lift the energy in the stadium when rallies get tight.
Still, the National Bank Open has not been her easiest tournament. This is her seventh appearance, and she has never moved beyond the third round. Her best showing came in Montreal in 2023, when she upset then-No. 11 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia before falling in the next round. She entered this year’s event with a 4-6 career record at the tournament.
That history matters because it explains the emotional backdrop. Fernandez is not just trying to win a match; she is trying to change the story of how she performs at home.
- Home support gives her energy, but it also raises the pressure.
- Fast starts will matter because the crowd will respond immediately.
- Serve protection could decide whether she settles in or plays from behind.
Recent form has been uneven
Fernandez arrives in Toronto after an inconsistent stretch on the North American hard-court swing. At the Washington Open, she lost in the second round to Alexandra Eala, 6-2, 7-6, after letting a 5-1 lead slip away in the second set. That result was a reminder that closing out matches has been a problem at times this season.
Her 2026 record reflects that same inconsistency. Before play began in Toronto, Fernandez had 12 wins and 19 losses. Even so, the year has not been without stronger moments. Her best run came at the Madrid Open, where she reached the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 event and showed she can still challenge high-level opponents when her timing is sharp.
Her left-handed game can be especially effective on hard courts when she is aggressive early in rallies. If she takes the ball on the rise, changes direction cleanly, and keeps Zarazúa under pressure, she has the tools to control the match. The bigger question is whether she can do that without giving away free points through rushed errors.
Zarazúa can make this awkward
Rankings suggest Fernandez should be favored, but Zarazúa is not the type of opponent who hands out easy progress. The Mexican player is outside the top 70, yet she is experienced, steady, and comfortable extending rallies until an opponent blinks.
That style creates a different kind of test. Rather than looking for a quick knockout, Fernandez may need to win point by point and accept that the match could become a long baseline battle. If she forces too many shots too early, Zarazúa can exploit the mistakes and drag the contest into a grind.
For Fernandez, the key is patience without passivity. She needs to stay aggressive, but not reckless. She needs to use the crowd, but not feel rushed by it.
- Patience will matter if rallies start to lengthen.
- Shot selection must stay disciplined under pressure.
- Momentum from an early lead could keep the Toronto crowd fully engaged.
How far can she realistically go?
If Fernandez gets past Zarazúa, the path likely becomes steeper right away. A third-round meeting with fifth seed Mirra Andreeva would present a major step up in quality, and later rounds could bring more difficult names such as Elise Mertens or four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
That part of the draw leaves little room for a slow build. Fernandez needs to establish rhythm now, because the tournament could quickly turn into a stretch of increasingly difficult assignments. A win over Zarazúa would not guarantee a deep run, but it would give her a needed base to build on.
Even a quarterfinal appearance would represent her best National Bank Open result and would give her useful confidence ahead of the US Open. For a player trying to stabilize her season, that kind of result would matter well beyond this one event.
For now, though, everything comes back to the opening task. Fernandez must absorb the pressure, settle into her patterns, and turn Toronto’s backing into a performance that matches the occasion.