Fernandez applauds New Yorkers for their resiliency, support
Leylah Fernandez had given her runner-up speech at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday afternoon when she asked for the microphone again. She had something to say to the New York fans on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorists attacks. Fernandez is 19.
"When I woke up this morning, I looked at the date," she said. "I remembered watching just movies about what happened, then asking my parents, like, what exactly happened in that day. You know what, I was just so in shock when they told me. They told me what they were doing when they saw the news.
"Obviously I don't know much about what really happened, but with the few information that I do have, I know that New York has suffered a lot the past years when it did happen. I just wanted to let them know that they're so strong, they're so resilient. They're just incredible.
"Just having them here happy, lively, just going back to the way they were, having my back during these tough moments, has made me stronger and has made me believe in myself a lot more."
While two teenage women were battling for the U.S Open title on Saturday, 17-year-old Robin Montgomery of Washington, D.C., won the junior singles title and backed it up with the junior doubles title.
Montgomery beat Kristina Dmitruk, 6-2, 6-4, then teamed with Ashlyn Krueger to win the doubles over fellow Americans Reese Brantmeier and Elvina Kalieva, 5-7, 6-4, (10-4). Montgomery became the first American to hold both of those titles since Lindsay Davenport in 1992.
