Team Canada won its first match at the 2024 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. The Canadian team of Layla Annie Fernandez of Montreal, Quebec and Steven Diez of Toronto, Ontario, defeated Chile two games to one.
Fernandez won both of her matches over the weekend. First, she beat Daniela Siegel 6-2, 6-3, then teamed with Diez to beat Siegel and Tomas Barrios Vera 7-5, 4-6. [10-8]. Diez lost his singles match, losing to Chilean Nicolas Jarry 7-5, 6-4. Fernandez has been the face of the Canadian team, as Canadian men's tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime is out of Montreal with a knee injury.
Fernandes is currently ranked 35th in the world in singles and 20th in the world in doubles. The 21-year-old has been playing some exceptional tennis lately. She was the face of the Canadian team that won the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup in Seville, Spain, in November, and beat Czech Katerina Siniakova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in October.
Canada is one of seven countries to win its first match in the tournament and currently has a record of one win and zero losses. They were joined by Poland, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Serbia. Canada's next match will be against Greece on Wednesday.
