Leylah Fernandez continues her winning streak in Japan. The 23-year-old tennis player from Laval, Quebec, secured her fifth career singles title by defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in the opening round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Fernandez claimed victory after a two-hour battle, winning 7-6 (5), 6-4 against the 30-year-old qualifier.
During the match, Fernandez showcased her skills with two aces, one double fault, 47 unforced errors, and 32 winners. She maintained a solid performance by winning 58% of her first serve points and 50% of her second serve points. Fernandez also showcased her resilience by saving six out of 11 break points and converting six out of 10 break points.
In another match, Victoria Mboko from Toronto emerged victorious against Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga in a match that lasted 73 minutes. Mboko outplayed Andreescu with 18 unforced errors, three double faults, one ace, and 21 winners. The Toronto native dominated by winning 77% of her first serve points and 50% of her second serve points while securing three out of eight return games.
Denis Shapovalov also made a strong start at the Swiss Indoors tournament, defeating Marcos Giron of the United States with a score of 6-7 (3), 6-0, 7-6 (4). Shapovalov, hailing from Richmond Hill, Ontario, demonstrated his prowess with 13 aces and converting five out of eight break-point opportunities. Giron, on the other hand, struggled to break Shapovalov’s serve and only managed to break him twice out of seven chances.
Shapovalov, who recently reached the semifinals at the Stockholm Open, will now face lucky loser Valentin Royer of France in the next round. The Canadian tennis player holds a 2-3 career record against Giron and is set to face a challenging match against Royer, whom he defeated earlier this year at the U.S. Open.
Upcoming matches at the ATP 500 tournament include a highly anticipated all-Montreal showdown between fifth-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo on Wednesday.