Fernandez stays alive with three-set win in Canada

Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the No 13 seed, defeated Australian qualifier Storm Sanders 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 to advance to the second round of the National Bank Open at the Aviva Centre in Toronto on Tuesday night.

Fernandez was back on the court after an almost two-months break due to a foot injury in Roland-Garros.

“I think I’m extremely happy that I got my first win in National Bank Open in three years”, she said. “Three years played against a qualifier, three years I lose against a qualifier.”

“So I was happy that today I was able to get the win. And I think after not playing for two months I had a lot of expectations for myself to play an amazing match. That everything’s going to fall in and like my serve, my return, my forehand’s going to work like I want it to. But it did not.”

“I think I was just happy the way that I was stronger mentally to accept it in certain moments and then get back to work. So it’s obviously not my best level but I was just happy that I was able to fight through all these emotions that I had for myself.

Fernandez, ranked No 13, will face Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia next.

WTA Toronto, other first-round results:

• Daria Kasatkina vs. Bianca Andreescu
• Belinda Bencic vs. Tereza Martincova
• Amanda Anisimova vs. Carol Zhao
• Kaia Kanepi vs. Naomi Osaka
• Shuai Zhang vs. Cristina Bucsa
• Camila Giorgi vs. Emma Raducanu
• Veronika Kudermetova vs. Ajla Tomljanovic
• Madison Brengle vs. Coco Gauff
• Sara Sorribes Tormo vs. Claire Liu
• Anna Bondar vs. Elise Mertens
• Rebecca Marino vs. Qinwen Zheng
• Jil Teichmann vs. Venus Williams
• Petra Kvitova vs. Alison Riske-Amritraj
• Yulia Putintseva beat Katherine Sebov (WC): 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
• Alize Cornet beat Caroline Garcia: 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
• Asia Muhammad (Q) beat Madison Keys: 7-6(5), 6-4
• Sloane Stephens beat Sofia Kenin: 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5
• Karolina Pliskova (14) beat Barbora Krejcikova: 6-3, 6-4
• Jelena Ostapenko (16) beat Anhelina Kalinina: 6-4, 6-2
• Serena Williams beat Nuria Parrizas Diaz (LL): 6-3, 6-4
• Simona Halep (15) beat Donna Vekic (LL): 6-0, 6-2
• Elena Rybakina beat Marie Bouzkova (Q): 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-1
• Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Martina Trevisan: 6-2, 2-6, 6-2