Leading 5-1 in the second set, Quebecer Leylah Fernandez lost her means and was defeated 6-4 and 7-5 by Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Cincinnati tournament on Monday.
The 13th seed of the Masters 1000 disputed in Ohio suffered six breakages, including four in the last set. During this one, the representative of the maple leaf obtained two set points in the seventh game. The 27th player in the world, however, raised her level of play when her back was against the wall and Fernandez was not able to follow the parade.
The Montreal native and 14th player on the world chessboard concluded her confrontation with only a success rate of 61% when she put her first serve in play. She also committed eight double faults.
It’s also Groundhog Day for Fernandez, who has never made it past the first round in Cincinnati in three career appearances at this meet.
For her second lap, Alexandrova will face the winner of the duel between the Japanese Naomi Osaka and the Chinese Zhang Shuai. The two women will face off on Tuesday.
Also in Ohio, Canadian Denis Shapovalov will be in action in the evening. He will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who is the 16th seed in the event.
