Leylah
Fernandez had no trouble defeating Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-3, securing her spot in
the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open, where she will face Sofia Kenin.
The
Canadian continues to prove that Mexico feels like home to her, having won two
career titles at the Monterrey Open (2021, 2022) and reached a final at the
Acapulco Open.
In a
closely contested start, Fernandez applied more pressure on her opponent's
serve, earning her first break opportunities in the second game, although she
couldn't capitalize on them.
With the
score tied at 2-2,
Leylah Fernandez secured four consecutive games, including
two breaks that gave her a 6-2 lead over Navarro. Leylah was impeccable with
her serve, hitting 71% of her first serves and winning 80% of those points, in
addition to winning 67% of the points on her second serve.
The former
US Open finalist took the first set in just 31 minutes, capitalizing on three
of the five break opportunities she had and not conceding a single break point
on her serve.
The second
set started similarly to the first, with both athletes holding their serves
without major issues. However, Fernandez took advantage of Navarro's errors and
secured a break in the fourth game, taking a 3-1 lead.
Although
Navarro had her first break opportunity in the following game, Fernandez didn't
falter under pressure and held her serve. The 21-year-old Canadian sealed the
match with a solitary break, winning 6-2, 6-3.
This week,
Fernandez has accumulated three consecutive victories in a main draw, a feat
she hadn't achieved since her quarterfinal appearance at the 2022 French Open.
Her
opponent in the quarterfinals will be a resurgent Sofia Kenin, who is currently
enjoying her best form in recent years. The former Australian Open champion has
already climbed back into the top 40 of the live rankings after reaching the
final of the WTA 500 San Diego Open last week and securing three victories this
week, the latest one against the sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko (16th) with a
score of 6-4, 7-5.
