Fernandez outlasts Zheng to keep title hopes alive in Monterrey

WTA
Thursday, 03 March 2022 at 04:58
leylah fernandez us open 2

Defending champion Leylah Fernandez was forced to dig deep on Wednesday night at the Abierto GNP Seguros, but eventually prevailed in a slugfest against Qinwen Zheng to advance to the quarterfinals.

The second seed required two hours and 42 minutes to get past her Chinese opponent, pulling off a 6-1 4-6 7-6(3) victory. Fernandez raced through the opening set but suffered a dip in form that saw Zheng capitalize on her break opportunity to claim the second set.

The decider saw both ladies hold serve, leading to a tense tiebreak. It was here that the Canadian took over the match, aggressively attacking her opponent's serve to lead 3-1. Another break all but handed her the match, as Fernandez maintained her rhythm to seal the victory.

The 2021 US Open runner-up hopes to successfully defend the title she won last year, as she will face the winner between Mayar Sheriff and Qiang Wang in the quarterfinals.

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