The UCLA women’s tennis team saw its NCAA campaign come to an end on Friday, May 9, after falling to second-seeded Texas A&M. In contrast, the UCLA men’s team triumphed over USC the same day, securing a spot in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals.
Leylah Fernandez’s sister, Bianca Jolie Fernandez, who was also a part of the women’s team and played against Texas, later celebrated the men’s team triumph.
Bianca’s UCLA Bruins Suffer Different Outcomes in Men’s and Women’s Tennis at the NCAA
Leylah and Bianca are two of three siblings, both competing on the WTA Tour. Although Bianca hasn’t matched her sister’s success in singles, and is currently ranked No. 176 in doubles. The 21-year-old also represents the University of California Bruins at the NCAA level.
Team Texas, the defending NCAA champions, faced a tough fight from the Bruins, who secured two singles match wins, one by Bianca and another by Kimmi Hance. The Canadian made a massive contribution on court 6 of the Mitchell Tennis Center, defeating the opponent team’s Lexington Reed 6-3, 6-3.
Despite this, the women’s team eventually lost 4-2 to the Aggies. Seemingly delighted by her performance, Bianca shared the clip of her triumph in her Instagram story.
The men’s team, meanwhile, defeated USC 4-2 Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA will face either third-seeded Texas or No. 14 Tennessee, who are set to clash on Saturday with a quarterfinal spot on the line.
The 21-year-old later celebrated the men’s team triumph, sharing a clip in her Instagram story.
Bianca’s Sister Leylah Fernandez Progressing Steadily at the 2025 Italian Open
Leylah Fernandez is currently competing at the 2025 Italian Open and has reached the third round of the tournament. Before starting her campaign, she was warmly welcomed by fans during a practice session in Rome. Grateful for the support, the Canadian shared photos and a video of the moment on social media, including a clip of her signing autographs for the cheering crowd.
The 22-year-old is seeded 24th in the WTA 1000 event in Rome and thus received a first-round bye. Fernandez faced Croatian qualifier Antonia Ruzic, who defeated Italian wildcard Tyra Grant 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the first round.
In the second round, the Canadian dominated Ruzic from the outset, winning the first set 6-4. She then carried the momentum into the second set, not letting the Croat win a game and securing the set 6-0.
The 2021 US Open runner-up will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the Italian Open, with the winner facing either No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka or Sofia Kenin in the fourth round.
