Fernandez and Cornet upset No. 2 seeds at Indian Wells (updated)

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The doubles partnership between Canadian Leylah Fernandez and France’s Alizé Cornet came about as a result of pure luck and timing.

And on Thursday night, supported by a big crowd willing to freeze off their various body parts in the cold, blustery desert night, they pulled off a major upset in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Fernandez and Cornet, in their first match together, overcame a one-sided first set and came back to defeat No. 2 seeds Zhang Shuai of China and Samantha Stosur of Australia, 1-6, 7-6 (7), 10-8.

They’ll play another veteran, experienced team in Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva in the second round.

Here’s what it looked like.

Big support on a cold night

The crowd really got behind the two, even if there wasn’t as much of a Canadian contingent as can often be the case in the desert.

But Fernandez has some crossover appeal with her multinational heritage – there was even one fan proudly holding up the flag of the Philippines.

*Fernandez’s roots are in the Philippines on her mother’s side, something this fan clearly knew.*

Zhang and Stosur, who qualified for the WTA Finals last November in Guadalajara, are a premium doubles team. But cold weather and a wind that was, at time, frankly unplayable can be great equalizers.

Fernandez was absolutely solid throughout. She rarely missed a return playing the deuce side. And she kept Cornet’s head from (figuratively) exploding a few times.

And both are fighters. This, we already knew.

Cornet didn’t play her best – especially on the returns on the crucial ad side. But she made some key shots at key moments. And she had at least three lobs (into the wind) that were jaw-droppingly good and expertly judged.

In doubles, timing is everything

Fernandez hadn’t really thought about doubles for Indian Wells. The light sort of went on during the Monterrey event, as she was defending her title in singles there.

“It’s a great tournament to play doubles at. And everybody’s already playing so it was really like, ‘Okay, let’s try to find someone’,” Fernandez told Open Court on Thursday.

Right as that was going through her mind, Fernandez received a message via Instagram from Cornet, asking her to play. So timing is everything.

Fernandez couldn’t have been more complimentary about her as a person. And what she told Open Court about her was all the more laudable given you know the veteran players in Cornet’s generation aren’t by definition going to welcome the up-and-coming teenagers with open arms.

Cornet and Fernandez warming up for the match, with more sun but also a even more wind than there was by the time they began the match.

“An extremely beautiful person”

Let’s face it, women can be like that. No matter how hard some work overtime to portray the WTA Tour as a big, friendly sorority, the instances of genuine congeniality amongst players still are the exception rather than the rule. That fresh-faced talent is coming to take away their livelihood, it goes without saying.

But not Cornet.

Read what Fernandez had to say.

“Alizé, she’s an extremely beautiful person – like, SO nice. She’s serious. But she knows when to throw in some jokes, have fun. I’ve trained with her a few times, and we played each other here last year.

“She was always very, very nice to me. She’s one of the first players that was there, that helped me kind of transition and be comfortable on the Tour.

“I remember having trouble finding like players to hit with. And every time I asked her, she would always say yes. And when she said ‘Yes’, she would tell me the exact date and the time. Since I was always available, I was like, ‘Yeah, sure. Let’s let’s hit that time. I don’t mind!’ I’m just excited to play doubles with her this tournament.”

Update: told what Fernandez had to say about her by journalist Quentin Moynet of L’Équipe, Cornet was touched.

Here’s her response.

“It made me very happy. When she arrived on tour, she was very shy. Now, she’s like a flower that’s bloomed. But at first, that was not the case. She was a little withdrawn; she didn’t talk too much. I showed up with my heavy boots, and I put her at ease right away. I did what I wish people had done with me when I arrived. No player came to see me. But she got to me. She has lovely values; she’s so cute, so kind.

“I’m glad she remembers that I was there at the start – before she was the big star she is now – and that I welcomed her with open arms. On tour, it is important to help each other, especially the young ones coming up. She has a head on her shoulders, she’s not at all full of herself. That she remembers this about me is a great reward.

“Of course, she’s a rival. She beat me last year in Indian Wells, and she didn’t give me any freebies! We’re two fighters on the court, but outside the court we are two young women – she a little more so than me! – who give everything for our passion, who work hard.”