Leylah Fernandez reacts on Instagram as she loses her opening match for the second tournament in a row

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Leylah Fernandez began her hard-court season with an excellent week in Washington, but has struggled to rediscover that form in her last two matches.

Just 16 days ago, the Canadian star was on top of the world when Fernandez won the Washington Open, the biggest title of her career.

Heading home to Montreal full of confidence, Fernandez was stunned in round one against Maya Joint, as she voiced her frustrations at the schedule after the match.

Looking to bounce back at the Cincinnati Open, Fernandez suffered another early exit, losing to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round.

Losing back-to-back matches with the US Open right around the corner, Fernandez has taken to social media, offering an update for her fans.

Leylah Fernandez says ‘every setback is just a setup for the comeback’ after Cincinnati exit

Posting on Instagram, Fernandez reacted to her second-round defeat at the 2025 Cincinnati Open.

“It hurts to fall, but it’s easier to get back up when I have all of you behind me,” she said.

“I like to think every setback is just a setup for the comeback.

“See you guys in Monterrey and then at the US Open.”

The 23-year-old is set to make a swift return to action in Monterrey, an event at which she won her maiden WTA title in 2021.

Defending her title in 2022, Fernandez became just the second player (after Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – 4) to have won the event multiple times since its introduction to the WTA calendar in 2009.

She will return in 2025 as the number six seed, in a field stacked with top-30 WTA talent.

Top eight seeds at the 2025 Monterrey Open

• [1] – Ekaterina Alexandrova (WTA #16)
• [2] – Diana Shnaider (WTA #20)
• [3] – Beatriz Haddad Maia (WTA #21)
• [4] – Elise Mertens (WTA #22)
• [5] – Linda Noskova (WTA #23)
• [6] – Leylah Fernandez (WTA #25)
• [7] – Magdalena Frech (WTA #27)
• [8] – Sofia Kenin (WTA #28)

Fernandez will no doubt be one of the favorites to pick up the title when the event begins on Monday, August 18.

She’ll then head over to New York for the US Open, hoping to perform as well as she did back in 2021.

Leylah Fernandez’s remarkable run to the 2021 US Open final

The Canadian teenager began her campaign at Flushing Meadows as a rank outsider in 2021, but quickly showed fans what she is all about.

Defeating Ana Konjuh and Kaia Kanepi in straight sets, Fernandez set up an intriguing third-round clash with the defending champion Naomi Osaka.

Picking up the biggest win of her career, Fernandez defeated Osaka 5-7, 7-6, 6-4, in a thriller on Arthur Ashe Stadium to book her place in the last 16.

There, Fernandez knocked out another seed, Angelique Kerber [16] in three sets, as she continued to impress tennis fans around the world.

The three-set wins didn’t stop there, however, as Fernandez outlasted Elina Svitolina [5] and Aryna Sabalenka [2] en route to the final.

Having beaten three top-ten players in her first six matches at the 2021 US Open, Fernandez looked to be the favorite for the final, facing off against British qualifier Emma Raducanu.

While Fernandez battled against the very best in the women’s game to reach the final, Raducanu beat just one seeded player, Maria Sakkari [17], in New York.

However, despite stepping onto the court as the favorite, Fernandez failed in her bid to win the title, losing out to Raducanu 4-6, 3-6.

The Canadian would have hoped to bounce back in 2022 and make another deep run, but wasn’t able to do so, and has struggled at the US Open ever since her remarkable run four years ago.

Losing to Russian players in four of her five visits to Flushing Meadows, perhaps Fernandez will be looking to avoid players from the nation when this year’s draw is released.

Only time will tell if Fernandez can impress at the US Open, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins on Sunday, August 24.