Leylah Fernandez pounces on insipid return performance from Elena Rybakina at Cincinnati Open

Leylah Fernandez is into the Last 16 of the 2024 Cincinnati Open with Elena Rybakina's return to action gleaming a second round exit in three sets 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in favour of the Canadian.

Fernandez will now face Ashlyn Krueger or Diana Shnaider for a spot in the Quarter-Finals in an open section of the draw likely with the in-form Russian as the favourite. But for Rybakina, it was a languid and insipid display at times.

This was confounded by her hitting 17 double faults in all in the match despite 20 aces. It was a break fest early on in the tie with Rybakina coming out with the hold to confirm her break to go 3-2 up. She kept the lead and broke again from 40-30 down on the Fernandez serve before serving out the set and it was very much job done for Rybakina in the early going.

But the second set ebbed and flowed with both having chances to claim it. But it was Rybakina who had match points and spurned them which led to her demise. Fernandez went 3-1 and 5-3 up on the Kazakh but lost her serve after missing set points at 5-4 up. The dial flipped the way of Rybakina but she missed two match points from 40-15 up and in the tie-break she was heavily beaten by Fernandez.

The final set was all Fernandez who came back from missing three break points at 2-2 to break to go 4-3 up and then sealed it from there at 5-4. A big chance now awaits while Rybakina goes back to the drawing board with only one warm-up under her belt ahead of the US Open.

Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina eased past Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1. As Elina Avanesyan who was a lucky loser this week and defeated Bianca Andreescu added Jelena Ostapenko to that resume. She won through in three sets 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.