(Indian Wells) Quebecer Leylah Fernandez lost 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 to Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in Indian Wells on Monday.
Fifth seed, Garcia has therefore earned his place in the round of 16, where Sorana Cirstea will be waiting for him.
Shortly after his 11e ace, Garcia sealed the win with a parallel forehand, which hit the line.
Ranked 49e at the WTA, Fernandez was the 30e seeded at the California tournament.
Garcia had three breaks, including two in the final inning, for cushions of 3-1 and 5-1. The Lavalloise let slip the two break points she obtained.
Prior to the break giving him a 3-1 lead, Garcia had won the third game to nil, on serve. She also shut out Fernandez twice in the first set, including a break.
Fernandez and Garcia had met only once, resulting in Garcia’s win earlier this year in Melbourne in the second round.
Last month and earlier in March, Garcia was beaten in the final in Lyon and Monterrey by Alycia Parks and Donna Vekic.
Fernandez’s compatriot, Bianca Andreescu will have a heavy task in the evening, against the favorite and defending champion Iga Swiatek.
The Pole defeated the Ontarian last year in Rome, on clay.
Andreescu won the California tournament in 2019, the year she became queen of Flushing Meadows. She now sits 36e at the WTA.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, 10e headliner, defeated her doubles partner, Paula Badosa of Spain, in straight sets 6-3, 7-5.
Emma Raducanu, champion in New York two years ago, got the better of Beatriz Haddad Maia (noh 13) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Meanwhile, Tunisian Ons Jabeur (noh 4) was eliminated by Czech Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets 7-6 (5), 6-4.
On the men’s side, Quebec’s Félix Auger-Aliassime, seeded eighth, defeated Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-4.
He will face in the next round the American Tommy Paul, 17e first in the series. The latter was the winner of the Pole Hubert Hurkacz 4-6, 6-2 and 6-4.
PHOTO JAYNE KAMIN-ONCEA, USA TODAY SPORTS
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Defending tournament champion Taylor Fritz made short work of Sebastian Baez as he triumphed 6-1, 6-2 in the third round. The Swiss Stan Wawrinka has meanwhile defeated Holger Rune (noh 7) in three sets of 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Rune saved match point and overcame a 5-2 deficit to win the second set in a tiebreaker. Wawrinka, however, pulled himself together in the final round.
Favorite Carlos Alcaraz will also be in action on Monday, as will veteran Andy Murray.