A home crowd, a statement win
Leylah Fernandez picked the perfect stage. The Laval native beat Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Friday, claiming her first win over a top-10 opponent in more than a year. Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion, sits No. 5 in the world. Fernandez, seeded 30th, needed just 81 minutes to send her home.
The Canadian ran off nine straight games to close the first set and open a 4-0 lead in the second. Andreeva clawed back three games to 5-4, then Fernandez served it out in five points. She converted four of five break points and faced only one on her own serve, winning 24 of 27 first-serve points.
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Built for the grind
Fernandez pointed to the work behind the result. “I know physically I am strong. I know I can endure long rallies and long matches,” she said. “So if it’s going to take 100 balls to hit, to put it in, to break her down, then so be it.” The words fit a player who reached the US Open final back in 2021 and feeds off a crowd that leans her way.
Next comes a stiffer test. Fernandez meets No. 11 seed Naomi Osaka in the fourth round after the Japanese star dismantled Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2. Osaka already flagged the danger. “I think it’s tough because she’s lefty,” she said. “She has a really good attitude. I’ve never seen her down. She always keeps fighting.”
Seeds tumble around her
Fernandez was not the only story in Toronto. Coco Gauff eased past Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4, Elena Rybakina downed Ann Li, and 19-year-old Alina Korneeva knocked out a second straight seeded American in Iva Jovic. The draw is cracking open, and the hometown favorite has planted herself right in the middle of it.
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