Canadian tennis takes centre stage during U.S. Open

Who would have thought she'd make it this far and still keep winning? 19-year-old Leila Fernandez upsetting fifth seed Alina Svitolina, the latest star to fall to the unseeded, underestimated Canadian who's tearing up the U.S. Open. I just told myself to trust my shots, trust that everything's gonna go well. Even if I lose, I gotta go for it and I'm glad I did. Fernandez stunned the tennis world last week by defeating reigning champion Naomi Osaka. Then she upset veteran Angelique Kerber, setting the stage for this quarterfinal. We're summoning in the new generation of tennis players and I think Canada has a place there. Two years ago in New York, it was Bianca Andreescu leading a new wave, the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title. This summer, Denis Shapovalov reached the Final Four at Wimbledon, with Félix Auger-Aliassime not far behind. At 21 years old, he too is on a roll, claiming his own U.S. Open quarterfinal win. Speaking to us in 2019, Auger-Aliassime already predicted there was more to come from Canada. We also feel the energy coming from the people at home, the interest that they give when you see the numbers going up of people, you know, trying out tennis, watching tennis. It's just very encouraging for us. Just check out the lineup at this Toronto tennis shop, with more fans picking up outdoor sports in a pandemic and amid Canada's hot streak. People are coming in, mentioning the matches and sometimes people that don't even play tennis are coming in saying they're watching the Canadians. It's very exciting. And why is that? What is it that they're feeding you up north in Canada that is producing such incredible, inspiring tennis this week? I would say it's the maple syrup. A sweet result, no matter what's fueling her. Thomas Daigle, CBC News, Toronto.