Leylah Annie Fernandez was a shadow of herself in her Australian Open opener and suffered a final loss to Australia’s Maddison Inglis.
The 19-year-old Lavalloise, a U.S. Open finalist in September, lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 after one hour and 23 minutes of play.
“Unfortunately, I did not play very well today, admitted the one who occupies the 24and world rank. I simply made too many mistakes. Didn’t check stats, but made more mistakes [30 fautes directes] What winning moves [8]. »
Missed shots
Fernandez also admitted that nothing worked for her in this match. “I missed my whole game today, my legs, my forehand, my backhand, my serve. I missed shots that I didn’t miss in training. It’s just not a good day. »
The Australian tournament is not yet over for Fernandez, who will play doubles with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe, a player she describes as “very positive” on the court.
Inglis, who received an invitation from the organizers, will face American Hailey Baptiste in the second round. Baptiste comes from qualifications.
Among other matches in the women’s draw, third-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain defeated France’s Clara Burel in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.
The Polish Iga Swiatek, noh 7, defeated Britain’s Harriet Dart in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.
Another of the tournament favourites, Romania’s Simona Halep, made her debut and won in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 against Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
Finally, Britain’s Emma Raducanu, the defending US Open champion, defeated American Sloane Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1.