41 Days After Endorsing Coco Gauff to US Open Win, Jimmy Butler Impressed by 21YO Canadian Starlet’s Tremendous Streak

“I don’t care”. This is what Jimmy Butler said about the recently concluded FIBA World Basketball World Cup. It is because he had other sports to catch up on during the previous offseason. He loves playing tennis too and engages in other offshoots of tennis as well. This is a great way to remain energetic and be game-ready when the NBA season comes. Therefore, tennis serves both training and leisure purposes. The underrated NBA superstar also loves lauding tennis players.

He has given laurels to the current US champion Coco Gauff. Now, he gives his flowers to another WTA star who has been on fire lately.

Jimmy Butler gives props to an emerging star

Butler is both a fan of ATP and WTA. He has even gone to games and shared his love up close. He watched Gauff do her thing during the US Open and admires her deeply. He also celebrated when she won the US Open title in September, beating number one Aryna Sabalenka.

However, he can’t keep up with all the events in tennis. Therefore, he keeps a close watch from afar and witnesses key moments. Now, he has taken a liking to Candian star Leylah Fernandez. He shared a story about her where she is engaged in a heated battle against Belarusian veteran Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Sharing a video about her triumph against Sasnovich Butler mentions her and puts the ‘😤’ emoji beside it.

In the part of the video by WTA’s Instagram handle, the Belarusian star challenges the Canadian with her serve that makes her go beyond the sideline. Sasnovich then clips the ball to the opposite sideline. However, the 21-year-old chases the ball all the way to the opposite sideline. Then with a fabulous return, she earns a game, which sets her just one more game away from making it 4-3 after winning the first set 6-3.

She went on to win the game after defeating Sasnovich 6-3, 6-4. While the return in the video was impressive, it was a distinct 41-26 service points advantage that set her apart.

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After not getting past the second round during the four grand slams, she is finding her footing in Asia. 

Leylah Fernandez has found her groove

She has now defeated Sasnovich, You Xiaodi, and Hanyu Go in the Jiangxi Open. These wins have helped her earn the Semi-Final berth against Katerina Siniakova. She has won eight straight games if we include her Hong Kong Open title. Incidentally, she had beaten Siniakova in three sets during the finals of the Open. Once ranked 13 after the dream run in US Open 2021, she has slipped to 43 but if she nabs another title, this will lift her rankings.

While her singles results have been on a tad underwhelming side, her doubles resume has been highly impressive. Alongside Taylor Townsend, she made it to the French Open Double finals. However, she lost to Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. 

At any rate, the current run is going to supplement his singles endeavors. 

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