Sofia Kenin
overcame a tough match against
Leylah Fernandez with a score of 6-4, 6-7, 6-1,
advancing to the semifinals of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open.
An attractive
match between two tennis players who have found good form this week, with the
only recorded one previous encounter at the 2020 US Open, when the American
emerging victorious as the second seed in the tournament.
Especially
Sofia Kenin (53th) arrived showing glimpses of her best performance with a
recent runner-up finish at the WTA 500 San Diego Open last week. In just a few
weeks, she returned to the top 100 and came into the match on the cusp of the
top 40 in the live rankings, a far cry from her position a year ago when she
was outside the top 300.
Leylah Fernandez
(74th) started the year as the world No. 40, but after the French
Open, she was on the verge of dropping out of the top 100 and had not found
enough consistency to regain her position, going from being seeded in
tournaments to playing qualifiers to access the main draws in recent months.
The 2021 US
Open finalist surrendered her service in the opening game, giving her opponent
a quick 2-0 lead. However, Fernandez recovered the break on her first
opportunity and managed to level the set in a closely contested start.
The
American troubled Fernandez by serving wide, allowing her to move her opponent
and defend her subsequent service games. Kenin took advantage of some
irregularities in her opponent's service and seized her second break
opportunity to then claim the set 6-4.
Both
players gave up their service early in the second set, but Leylah improved in
crucial points, defending her service even with difficulties and subsequently
securing a break that gave her a 5-2 lead.
However,
Fernandez couldn't hold strong to close out the set, conceding the next three
games to Kenin, including a break, and squandering two set points with the
score at 5-4 in favor of the former Australian Open champion.
Both
players held their service games to reach the tie-break. Leylah found herself
two mini breaks down (4-1) but made a strong comeback, winning five consecutive
points to take a 6-4 lead. The Canadian squandered two set points, with the
second coming from a regrettable double fault. However, she ultimately
prevailed, securing the set 7-6(6).
The third
set was entirely different from the previous course of the match. Leylah
Fernandez's level declined while her opponent remained composed. Two
consecutive breaks put Kenin up 5-0, an advantage that proved insurmountable
for her opponent, and Kenin secured the match 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-1
In the
semifinals, she awaits the clash between two of the surprises of the
quarterfinals: Martina Trevisan (54th), who upset the first seed Ons Jabeur
(7th), and Caroline Dolehide (111th), who eliminated the 8th seed Ekaterina
Alexandrova (20th).
