Leylah Fernandez has already secured her best performance ever at the Australian Open!
Now, she aims to build on this exciting momentum.
The talented Canadian advanced to the third round with a thrilling comeback victory over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, finishing the match with scores of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday.
A brief rain delay of around 15 minutes could have dampened her spirit, occurring when Fernandez held a 15-40 advantage and the score was tied at 4-4 in the deciding set. However, she quickly regained her focus and seized the first point upon resuming play to achieve the crucial break.
Fernandez now boasts a 2-0 head-to-head record against the 110th-ranked Bucsa, having previously defeated her during the round of 32 at last year’s Paris Olympics.
The 30th seed, Fernandez, has faced challenges in the past with two second-round exits and three first-round losses in her previous five main draw appearances at the year’s opening Grand Slam.
Looking ahead, Fernandez will compete against the winner of the match between No. 3 seed Coco Gauff from the U.S. and Great Britain’s Jodie Burrage.
In another exciting development, Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe triumphed in their first-round women’s doubles match, defeating American duo Danielle Collins and Desirae Krawczyk with scores of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 as the No. 2 seeds.
