Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez secured a spot in the semifinals of the Singapore Tennis Open by defeating top seed Mirra Andreeva 6-2, 7-5 in an unexpected victory on Friday. Hailing from Laval, Quebec, the sixth seed displayed resilience by saving two break points in the first set and breaking Andreeva to take a 1-0 lead.
Maintaining a strong performance, Fernandez led 5-2 in the second set before Andreeva initiated a comeback. However, the 24-year-old managed to secure her sixth break of the match in the 12th game, ultimately sealing the win over the Russian in one hour and 32 minutes.
This win improved Fernandez’s head-to-head record to 3-2 against Andreeva, who holds the fifth position in the world rankings. Notably, all three of Fernandez’s victories against Andreeva have been on hardcourt, including a win at the National Bank Open in Toronto earlier this year.
Having reached her first semifinal of the season, Fernandez is set to face fifth seed Maja Chwalinska from Poland in the upcoming match scheduled for Saturday. Chwalinska, a finalist at the recent French Open, secured her spot in the Singapore semifinals by defeating the defending champion Elise Mertens and will be meeting Fernandez for the first time on the court.