In a thrilling turn of events, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez has finally cracked the code against Maria Sakkari.
In a stunning display, Fernandez triumphed for the first time in their four encounters, cruising to an impressive 6-2, 6-0 victory during the second round of the China Open on Friday.
Seeded 25th, Fernandez had a first-round bye in this prestigious WTA Tour 1000 hard-court event, marking her return after a defeat to No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open’s third round in late August.
Sakkari, sitting at 56th in the world rankings, also faced an exit in the third round of the season’s final Grand Slam. Notably, she previously soared to a career-high rank of No. 3 in 2022.
Fernandez showcased her dominance by converting all five of her break points against Sakkari, excelling particularly on Sakkari’s second serve by winning an astonishing 63 percent of those points.
Next up for Fernandez, hailing from Laval, Quebec, is a match against the No. 2 seed Coco Gauff, who easily dispatched Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova with a score of 6-4, 6-0 in her second-round match.
Gauff holds a 2-0 lifetime advantage over Fernandez, having won all four sets in their meetings earlier this year in Australia.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Victoria Mboko, the 21st seed, is set to clash with Anastasia Potapova in her second-round encounter on Saturday.
Mboko, who clinched the National Bank Open title in Montreal this past August, is looking to bounce back after her first-round exit at the U.S. Open.
