Canadian Open: Fernandez Beats Andreeva For First Top-10 Win After Seven Defeats

Canadian Open: Fernandez beats Andreeva for first Top-10 win after seven defeats (Image Source: IANS)

Mubadala DC Open: The 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez ended a streak of seven defeats to Top 10 opponents by getting past Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva in the third round of the WTA section of the Canadian Open.

Fernandez entered her match against fifth seed Andreeva and snapped her streak of defeats in a big way, matching her best-ever result at her country's signature event. The win left the 30th-ranked Fernandez primed for a Round of 16 clash with former US Open winner Naomi Osaka, the 11th seed getting the better of 20th seed Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-1, 6-4.

The Canadian star routed the No. 5 seed 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour and 21 minutes to return to not just the Round of 16 in Toronto, a result she previously recorded in Montreal in 2023, but also score her first Top 10 victory in more than a year. She last beat a player ranked as highly as Andreeva when she beat then-World No. 4 Jessica Pegula on the way to winning the Mubadala DC Open last year.

Fernandez cruised against an out-of-sorts Andreeva up until 6-1, 5-1, when the 20-year-old came alive to hold from 0-30 in the eighth game and close the game to 5-4. But a key forehand miss at 0-15 on Fernandez's serve at 5-4 turned what turned out to be the final game around, and the No. 30 seed wrapped up the win three points later.

"The key for me was to stay positive, stay strong, and to keep being patient. I mean, she wasn't going to give away some easy balls," Fernandez said afterwards. "In the beginning there were a lot of long rallies, and that was a key for me to kind of stick with it, trusting in my abilities, and to continue playing my game throughout the match."

The stat line of the match agreed with the left-hander's strategy. Andreeva made 19 unforced errors in the first set, and 34 for the match -- double her 17 winners. Fernandez, meanwhile, was tidy with eight winners and seven unforced errors.

"[I was] telling myself to put the ball back in. I mean, I've trained a lot growing up in being consistent and hitting like a hundred balls in a row, and trying to hit, you know, a series where none of us miss," Fernandez continued. "It's like that's where I come back to. Like, I know I can do it.

"There have been times where I just want to finish the point quickly, and in that moment I was like, no, trust in my abilities, trust in my fitness. I've put in the work. I know physically I'm strong. I know I can endure long rallies, long matches. So if it's going to take a hundred balls to hit to break her down, then so be it.

"That was kind of the mentality. I knew that if I can do it, and if I can put a little bit more pressure, I will have my chances to hit winners, or to take more chances in the point."

"There have been times where I just want to finish the point quickly, and in that moment I was like, no, trust in my abilities, trust in my fitness. I've put in the work. I know physically I'm strong. I know I can endure long rallies, long matches. So if it's going to take a hundred balls to hit to break her down, then so be it.

Osaka said the toughest task with Fernandez is simply her being left-handed. As for a particular shot, it's the left-handed serve that causes trouble for Osaka, and she pinpointed former World No. 1 Petra Kvitova's as an example. Osaka also lauded Fernandez's level-headed mindset throughout the match.

Article Source: IANS