Dear Gossips, 

There is a LOT going on in pop culture right now. Venice has been a spectacle, TIFF kicked off yesterday, and a lot of action is happening in New York because of fashion week, the MTV VMAs on Sunday, and the Met Gala on Monday. It’s not easy pulling focus in NYC, especially not when there are celebrities and models everywhere, and last year was such a quiet one because of the pandemic, but there is someone who is captivating New York City and beyond, an unexpected new star has emerged…

 

LEYLAH ANNIE FERNANDEZ!

The crowds at Flushing Meadows have been completely captivated by her over the last couple of weeks as she’s taken down top seed after top seed to make it to the US Open Final!

Leylah already has a signature move, the way she double-swoops her arms up and out to jack up the fans, and of course they respond. Because she’s irresistible, her hustle is irresistible. Leylah is chasing down ball after ball after ball. Leylah doesn’t quit. And also, Leylah looks like she’s having fun. There’s so much pressure on these athletes, these are such stressful situations, sometimes it doesn’t seem like fun at all – which is understandable. Right now though, for Leylah, she’s enjoying it, like really, really enjoying it. 

And, sure, she’s enjoying it because she’s winning – that’s fair, but I do think it’s important that she’s allowing herself to enjoy it while she’s experiencing it, in the present, which is actually easier said than done. 

 

If you’ve been following Leylah’s ride the last couple of weeks, you’re probably also now familiar with her parents, Jorge and Irene, as the camera has been cutting away to Irene during her matches and much has been made about Jorge coaching her. Jorge spoke to TSN yesterday and this moment about representation has gone viral: 

Speaking of representation though, Leylah now faces Emma Raducanu in the final. Emma plays for Great Britain but she was born in Toronto, so there’s strong Canadian energy in this match on both sides. And strong East Asian energy as Emma, like Leylah, is biracial; her father is Romanian and her mother is Chinese. Unfortunately, because of COVID restrictions, her parents were not able to travel with her to the States. She’s 18 years old. She’s fresh on the scene. Both of them are…

And now these two young women will be centre stage, tomorrow, in New York City, competing for a grand slam title. There are no losers here. Winners only!

Yours in gossip,

Lainey