Leylah Fernandez needed a major confidence boost after back-to-back opening-round exits at the National Bank Open in Montreal and the Cincinnati Open.
The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., got it Monday night in Mexico with a 6-3, 7-5 first-round victory over Jaqueline Cristian of Romania at the WTA 500 Monterrey Open, where she is a former two-time champion.
The seventh-seeded Fernandez, who posted on Instagram that “I like to think every setback is just a setup for the comeback,” won the first set in 35 precision-filled minutes.
Both players stayed on serve in the tight second set until Fernandez broke Cristian at 5-5, then served out to win 7-5 to take the match in one hour, 33 minutes.
Fernandez, who won the Washington Open last month, advances to the round of 16 and will face the winner of a match between Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia and Victoria Rodriguez of Mexico.
Cristian, who got stronger as Monday’s match progressed, finished with five aces and three double faults. Fernandez had three aces and one double fault.
Fernandez held an advantage on first serves, winning 86 per cent of her points on first serve, compared to 76 for Cristian.
Fernandez won two of five break points and took 24 points while receiving. Cristian had 23 unforced errors, 11 more than Fernandez.
