Canadians Leylah Fernandez and Rebecca Marino earned their ticket to the second round of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Tennis Open on Sunday.
Fernandez needed just 73 minutes to defeat France’s Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 6-2. As for Marino, she took the measure of the Russian Margarita Betova 7-5, 6-3, in 1 hour 32 minutes.
Fernando, 38e in the WTA rankings, was able to exploit the shortcomings of its rival in service. Mladenovic double faulted 11 times, compared to just one ace, hit just 36 percent of his first serves and conceded six breaks on nine occasions.
Fernandez committed twice as many double faults as she succeeded with aces (eight against four). However, she won 67 percent of the points after lodging her first live ball and saving four of the six break chances she faced. Five of those break points came in the third game of the first set, which Mladenovic eventually won.
As for Marino, 70e in the world, she scored six aces against a single double fault, she won 76 percent of the points after placing her first serve in play and making four service breaks in 11 attempts.
Marino completed the first inning with one of these breaks, on the 12e game. In the second set, she picked up another break in the eighth game, giving her a 5-3 lead.
On Monday, Fernandez and Marino will have the opportunity to earn a spot in the women’s singles main draw. To achieve this, they will have to defeat the Ukrainian Katarina Zavatska and the Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure, respectively.