Leylah Fernandez defeated Bernarda Pera in the first round of the DC Open with a score of 6-3, 7-5, setting up a match against Maria Sakkari.
The Canadian player hasn't had a great 2023 season and has been far from the level that took her to the final of the 2021 US Open and the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open. Fernandez dropped out of the top 50 after an early exit from Roland Garros in the second round.
This week, she entered the main draw of the DC Open through the qualifying rounds, defeating the second seed Varvara Gracheva and the sixth seed Katie Boulter without dropping a set.
Bernarda Pera, on the other hand, had some good results in the first part of the year, including reaching the third round of the Australian Open and the fourth round of the French Open, which helped her achieve her best ranking as world No. 27 two months ago. However, she experienced a drop in the rankings after a disappointing grass-court season with a record of 1-3.
The 20-year-old Canadian secured the first break and took a 3-0 lead over Pera. Although Fernandez lost her service game in the fifth game, she broke back and maintained her lead to take the first set 6-3.
Despite winning 83% of the points with her first serve, Fernandez faced some issues, committing six double faults and only winning 29% of the points with her second serve.
The second set was a battle of breaks between the players, as neither of them held their serve in the first seven games of the set, with three breaks for Pera and four for Fernandez.
The former US Open finalist defended her serve in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Pera managed to win her service game immediately after, and when Fernandez served to take the set, the American broke back to level the match at 5-5.
Fernandez kept her composure in the last two games, securing another break and then defending her serve, even facing a break point against her, to close the match 7-5.
In total, the match featured twelve breaks, seven for Leylah and five for Pera, and both players were able to hold their serve on only nine occasions.
In next round, Fernandez faces the challenge of taking on the fourth seed Maria Sakkari, who had a bye and advanced directly to the second round.
Fernandez d. Bernarda Pera 6-3 7-5 in Washington What an effort from Leylah. It hasn’t been the best year for her, but this time of year must bring back so many memories. All roads lead to the US Open, the place where she made a believer out of so many people. 🇨🇦❤️
