Canadian Fernandez loses to top seed in Australian Open junior final
Montreal 16-year-old defeated in straight sets by Denmark's Clara Tauson
Canada's Leylah Fernandez came up just short in her attempt at an Australian Open junior girls' singles title.
Clara Tauson of Denmark downed the 16-year-old from Montreal in the tournament final on Saturday 6-4, 6-3.
The top-seeded Tauson needed just one hour and six minutes to take down the fourth-seeded Fernandez, who had won five straight matches to qualify for the final.
Entering the Australian Open final, Tauson had won two of three matches against Fernandez. Tauson had won both matches played on hard court, while the Canadian emerged victorious on clay in Brazil last year.
Fernandez's first big junior Grand Slam result came last year at the French Open when she reached the semifinals. She followed that up with a run to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.
Fernandez made her WTA Tour main-draw debut last September at the National Bank Cup in Quebec City. She beat fellow Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski in the opening round before falling to Heather Watson of the United Kingdom.
She opened her 2019 season by reaching the final at a junior event in Traralgon, Australia earlier this month, losing 6-3, 6-2 to Tauson in the championship match.