TORONTO | It was tougher than expected, but for the first time in her young career, Leylah Fernandez won a game ahead of her team late yesterday in Toronto.
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Ranked 13e favorite of the National Bank Open, the Quebecer won 6-4, 6-7 (2) and 6-3 against the Australian qualifier Storm Sanders, 273e.
“I’m so happy to have been able to win in front of my fans! rejoiced Leylah at a press conference. But also, that my body is not sore after the end of the match. »
At only 19 years old, Fernandez was making his third appearance in the main draw of the Canadian tournament. Last year, she suffered a heartbreaking setback in Montreal, when the match against Briton Harriet Dart seemed within reach.
But the young player was not going to make such a mistake twice. Especially not after having had to miss competition for two months due to a stress fracture in a foot.
Thanks to the crowd
Leylah was stamping with joy in the last days at the idea of making her return here, in front of her fans and also, several members of her family.
And the public devoted to his cause gave it back to him. First scheduled for 7 p.m., the meeting was postponed in the middle of the evening due to the rain that had fallen for a few hours on the Queen City.
The darling of the crowd entered the field to cheers and ” let’s go Leylah! were obviously heard several times in the cool Toronto night.
“I don’t think I could have won without the support of the public. [hier] “, she acknowledged.
Because as expected after a long break, the 13e WTA racket seemed a little rusty at the start of the match.
The first set gave rise to several long games, even if Sanders, 27, had few weapons on serve.
Fernandez ended up taking advantage of it, at the best time. She offered herself a break point at 5-4 and, no doubt feeling the pressure, the Australian then committed a double fault, giving her the opening set at the same time.
Bad tiebreaker
Sanders – more of a regular at doubles, a specialty in which she ranks 20e world rank – however, quickly recovered in the second set, pocketing the entry break.
But Fernandez rebounded at 2-2, then looked set to repeat the scenario of the opening round. She took advantage of two match points at 5-4, on her opponent’s serve, but each time Sanders got away with it.
This second set was therefore played in a tiebreaker, which the original Lavallois started with a convincing serve. But the sequel was all to the advantage of the Australian, to the dismay of the spectators.
Russian mountains
Not dejected at the idea of having to compete in a final round, Fernandez quickly showed her teeth.
Admittedly, she had a little scare in the fourth game, trailing 0-30 on her serve, but she managed to climb the slope.
Then, Leylah immediately broke her rival of the day and apart from a complicated eighth game, during which she erased three break points, the rest of this match was all to the advantage of the Quebecer.
“There was everything in this meeting, she pointed out. Good times, tough ones, spectacular points from both players. It was a roller coaster. »
“My game is not quite at the level I would like, but I’m happy to have worked hard on the mental aspect in training to be able to win. »
The latter will face in the second round Beatriz Haddad Maia, 24e world champion and winner of the Italian Martina Trevisan (26e) yesterday.
Leylah has already beaten the Brazilian this year. It was in the semifinals in Monterrey, Mexico, a tournament where she won the second title of her career.
Two Canadians could well have advanced to the second round yesterday. Toronto’s Katherine Sebov, 299e world, fought a great battle against the Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. But the 46e world finally had the upper hand 3-6, 6-2 and 7-5.
Leylah will be back on the court today in doubles, along with her younger brother Bianca.