Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime, the two young Canadian tennis upstarts, have both made it to the Semi-finals of the prestigious US Open. 19 and 21 years old respectively, their Cinderella runs have become must-watch TV. 

The scene is set at the Billie Jean King Center in New York City, as Canadians have decided to completely outshine any American talent on their home turf. Fernandez will take on the women’s #2 Aryna Sabalenka later tonight, and Auger-Aliassime’s match is set for tomorrow night against the men’s #2 Daniil Medvedev. 

The future for Canadian tennis is bright. As the old guard of tennis continues to age, young stars with fire in their eyes are beginning to eye the throne. Though Novak Djokovic remains at the first spot in the ATP men’s rankings, stalwarts like Nadal and Federer have begun their decline down the rankings. 

That made room for players such as Auger-Aliassime, the 21 year old from Montreal, to begin his quest to sit at the top. Prior to the US Open, the Canadian youngster was sitting at 15th in the rankings, but is currently at #12. Expect him to head even further up the rankings if his success at the US Open continues. 

The big surprise of the tournament is Leylah Fernandez, who prior to the tournament was sitting at a lowly 73rd on the WTA rankings. Expect that number to skyrocket as the 19 year old has exceeded every expectation, taking down the #5 Elina Svitolina on the way. 

Both hailing from Montreal, their runs are no example of luck, and are instead a sign of a changing of the tide in the world of tennis. Expect more from Canada – the future is bright. 

Sources: CBC.CA, SPORTS.YAHOO.COM, THESTAR.COM, SPORTSNET.CA