Leylah Fernandez to Compete for Team Americas at the SI Women’s Games
Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian tennis star coming off her fourth career WTA win at the Citi Open in Washington D.C., will join the inaugural Sports Illustrated Women’s Games this fall, as part of Team Americas. She will be teaming up with former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, who is also competing in the event against Team World.
Fernandez, 22, is currently competing alongside tennis legend Venus Williams in women's doubles at the 2025 U.S. Open. The duo just beat Eri Hozumi and Ulrikke Eikeri in a two-set second round match after defeating the No. 6 team of Ellen Perez and Lyudmyla Kichenok in the first round. Williams, 45, has never won a major doubles title without her sister, Serena, so if her and Fernandez keep up this momentum, they could make history.
On the singles side of the U.S. Open draw, Fernandez fell to world No. 1 and reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of competition on Friday. She put up a strong fight, though, playing a tiebreaker in the second set.
Fernandez is now looking forward to competing at the SI Women's Games in tennis, which will be played on Sunday, Nov. 2.
“Playing with Venus is an amazing experience and I am looking forward to another great experience at the SI Women’s Games representing Team Americas," Fernandez said. "See you in Oceanside on November 2.”
Fernandez is most known for her U.S. Open final run in 2021 where she lost to Emma Raducanu in the all-teenager final. Still, it was very impressive for Fernandez to reach a major final that young in her career, and just months after she won her first WTA title at the Monterrey Open.
Fernandez also has a women’s doubles major final under her belt. In 2023, Fernandez and her partner American Taylor Townsend reached the final at the French Open, but the duo lost in three sets.
Before becoming a professional tennis star, Fernandez was a successful juniors player. She won the 2019 juniors French Open title, then made her professional debut just a month later. She’s come a long way since then. Fernandez has represented Canada a few times in the past—twice at the Olympics (Tokyo in 2021 and Paris ’24) and multiple times for the WTA’s Billie Jean King Cup. Fernandez helped Canada win the title in 2023.
If you want to check out Fernandez and the rest of the incredible athletes competing in the SI Women's Games in Oceanside at Frontwave Arena from Oct. 28–Nov. 2, here's how you can purchase tickets.