Leylah Fernandez secured her first top-10 win in more than a year in front of a friendly home crowd with a resounding 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Russia’s Mirra Andreeva at the National Bank Open on Friday in Toronto.
Fernandez, the No. 30 seed who hails from Laval, Quebec, needed just 81 minutes to dispatch the reigning French Open champion. She won nine straight games to close the first set and open a 4-0 second-set lead. Andreeva won three straight games to trim the gap to 5-4 before Fernandez served out the match in just five points.
The Canadian converted four of five break-points chances while facing just one on her own serve. Fernandez won 24 of 27 first-serve points (88.9%).
“I’ve put in the work,” Fernandez said after the match. “I know physically I am strong. I know I can endure long rallies and long matches. So if it’s going to take 100 balls to hit, to put it in, to break her down, then so be it.”
Fernandez will again have her hands full in the fourth round. She’ll face No. 11 Naomi Osaka of Japan, who breezed past No. 20 Belgian Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2, winning 72.9% of her service points and saving all three break points she faced.
Unseeded 19-year-old Russian Alina Korneeva knocked off her second straight seeded American opponent with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of 18-year-old Iva Jovic, the No. 13 seed. She could have a chance at three in a row as she faces the winner of Friday evening’s match between No. 4 Coco Gauff and No. 29 Maria Sakkari of Greece for a spot in the quarterfinals.
No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan advanced into the fourth round behind a 6-2, 7-5 defeat of No. 28 Ann Li. She’ll take on Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova, who outlasted Australia’s Maya Joint for a 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-2 victory, which took two hours and 52 minutes to complete.
In other night action, No. 12 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland takes on Taylor Townsend and No. 25 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines battles Caty McNally.
–Field Level Media
