Achi news desk-
Leila Fernandez advanced to the women’s third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday, while fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Eliasima won his opening match in the men’s event.
Fernandez, who was eliminated in the first round as the 32nd seed, defeated Russia’s Anastasia Potapova 7-5, 6-3 in 91 minutes.
The 21-year-old from Laval, Quinn, overcame eight double faults and broke Potapova five times on eight occasions, saving six of the nine break points she faced, to improve to 2-0 against the Russian.
Fernandez will next face the eighth seed, Un Jabbar from Tunisia. Javor is 2-0 against Fernandez, though the two haven’t squared off since 2021.
Montreal’s Auger-Eliashima rallied to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishuka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Auger-Eliasima, ranked 35th in the world, fired 11 aces and won 81 percent of his first serves in a match that lasted two hours and 19 minutes on clay.
The 23-year-old Canadian improved his career record to 3-2 over the 79th-ranked Kissuka.
Auger-Eliasima will meet 19th-ranked Adrian Mannerino in the second round.
Manarino won their only previous meeting in the second round of the 2023 Cincinnati Masters.
– This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 25, 2024.
