Over Aussie Open shock, Canada's Fernandez is battle-tested heading into Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Leylah Fernandez’s brief history at the BNP Paribas Open is a snapshot of her meteoric rise in women’s tennis.

The 19-year-old from Montreal comes into the 2022 edition at No. 21 in the rankings, and fresh off a successful defence of her first career WTA title in Monterrey, Mexico.

And after the first-round bye granted to the 32 seeded players (she’s at No. 18), she’ll begin her run in the desert this weekend against either Amanda Anisimova or wild card Emma Navarro, whom she played in the final when she won the Roland Garros junior girls’ event in 2019.

Just three years ago this week, a 16-year-old Fernandez was nowhere near preparing to face the best in the California desert.

Ranked No. 404 in the world, she lost in the first round of qualifying at an entry-level $25,000 tournament halfway around the world in Nishitama, Japan.

Two years ago this week, after a run in two Mexican tournaments raised her ranking to career-best No. 120, she was awarded a wild card into the Indian Wells singles main draw.

It never happened.

The tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 the night before qualifying was to start — the first sign of what turned out to be a five-month tennis stoppage in 2020.

A year ago this week, with Indian Wells postponed, Fernandez won her first career ATP Tour title in Monterrey. But it came behind closed doors.

“They were covering the seats with tarps with the tournament logo. When I won, there was only the volunteers and the ball kids in the stands,” Fernandez said in an interview this week.

Indian Wells was played in October last year, barely a month after Fernandez reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

The Canadian arrived in Indian Wells in the top 30, but hadn’t