Quebecer Leylah Fernandez got off to a good start at the Dubai Tennis Championships with a straight-set 6-4, 6-2 win over Austria’s Julia Grabher on Sunday.
In the next round, Fernandez will cross swords with Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the world’s leading player, very possibly on Tuesday.
The latter will come to this tournament after dominating the American Jessica Pegula in the final of the Qatar Open, 6-3, 6-0, on Saturday.
It was the second time Fernandez and Grabher faced each other in their career. The 20-year-old Quebecer, 39e in the world, needed to work a little harder, but only slightly, than in their first encounter which they won 6-0, 6-1 in Auckland, New Zealand, on January 5, in just 45 minutes.
On Sunday, it took him 40 minutes to complete the first run. Fernandez took the lead with a service break in the fifth game, but lost that advantage in the eighth game, allowing Grabher to bring the duel back to even serve.
Fernandez responded by breaking Grabher’s serve in the very next game before winning the set when the Austrian sent a forehand over the baseline.
Fernandez followed up by winning the first four games of the second set in an expeditious manner, conceding only five points in the process.
For Grabber, 90e world player, the climb to climb was too steep. The match ended after 74 minutes of action when the Austrian attempted a backhand return of serve which fell beyond the baseline.
On Monday, it will be Ontario’s Bianca Andreescu’s turn to play her first round match against Kazakh Elena Rybakina, ninth seed and 10th player in the world.
Andreescu is ranked 36th in the WTA rankings.