Leylah Fernandez sought a confidence boost following recent early exits at the National Bank Open in Montreal and Cincinnati Open. The 22-year-old from Laval, Quebec, found that boost on Monday night in Mexico by defeating Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the WTA 500 Monterrey Open. Fernandez, a former two-time champion of the event, took just 35 minutes to secure the first set with precision.
The second set was a tight affair with both players holding serve until Fernandez broke Cristian at 5-5 and eventually closed out the match at 7-5 after 1 hour and 33 minutes. Fernandez, seeded seventh, now moves on to the Round of 16 and awaits the winner between Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia and Victoria Rodriguez of Mexico.
Throughout the match, Cristian showed improvement as she tallied five aces and three double faults, while Fernandez recorded three aces and one double fault. Fernandez excelled on her first serves, winning 86% of those points compared to Cristian’s 76%. She capitalized on two of five break points and accumulated 24 points on return, while Cristian committed 23 unforced errors, 11 more than Fernandez.
Having recently won the Washington Open, Fernandez continues her impressive form as she progresses in the Monterrey Open.