MANILA, Philippines — A half-Filipina, half-Ecuadorian teenager from Canada didn’t just win the French Open junior girls championship but also captivated the audience with her amazing competitive spirit on the Roland Garros clay courts in Paris last weekend. A lefthander, Fernandez made it to the French Open juniors semifinals last year but bowed to the US’ Cori Gauff, 6-4, 6-3. “Early on, a lot of people said she was too small to play clay,” said Fernandez’ father. I’m Canadian. She’s going to get stronger, she’s going to get faster, she’s going to get smarter.

Source: Philippine Star June 11, 2019 16:00 UTC