Quebec’s Leylah Annie Fernandez came back strong after a poor second set to defeat Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in straight sets 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 on Friday in a first-round match at the tennis tournament from Madrid.
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The winner took about two hours to defeat the 64th racquet on the professional circuit. The 17th seed, who had changed places in the main draw following the withdrawal of world number 1 Iga Swiatek, will face Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann, 35th player in the WTA, in the next stage.
Fernandez took advantage of a double fault from her rival to end hostilities. She also took the opposing serve four times in 10 attempts, while being the victim of three breakages out of the seven chances she conceded to Petkovic.
The game was hotly contested, with the Maple Leaf athlete pocketing 83 points, two more than his German opponent.