(Charleston) Quebecer Leylah Annie Fernandez was supposed to make her debut Wednesday night at the Charleston tennis tournament, but bad weather forced the match to be postponed to Thursday.
Updated yesterday at 10:06 p.m.
In the middle of the evening program on Wednesday, the organizers were forced to suspend activities due to rain and lightning. The match between Tunisian Ons Jabeur and American Emma Navarro was stopped in the second set with Jabeur leading 6-3, 5-2.
Fernando, 7and seeded, must face the Polish Magda Linette in the second round of the tournament on clay. Linette knocked out American Katie Volynets in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in the first round as Fernandez was given a world-ranked bye.
Fernandez, 19, occupies the 19and world rank while his 34-year-old opponent is currently at 64and echelon of the WTA. The two players have faced each other only once, in 2020, on clay at Roland-Garros and Fernandez won in three sets.
Earlier on Wednesday, top seed Aryna Sabalenka picked up her first victory since the end of February, beating American Alison Riske 7-6(3) and 6-4 to advance to the round of 16. She had need almost two hours to snatch those two sleeves from Riske. The Belarusian will find another American on her way, Amanda Anisimova.
Sabalenka had lost her opener in Indian Wells and Miami after losing to new world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals in Qatar six weeks ago.
Among the other favorites in action, the Czech Karolina Pliskova (3and), Americans Jessica Pegula (6and) and Madison Keys (9and), the Swiss Belinda Bencic (10and) as well as the French Alize Cornet (12and) were all victorious.
Pliskova beat Ukraine’s Katarina Zavatska in three sets 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. Pegula took down Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1, then Keys beat Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri 6-3, 6-1.
Tokyo gold medalist Bencic defeated Czech Linda Fruhvirtova 6-1, 7-6 (6), while Cornet easily edged out American Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-2.