MELBOURNE, Australia | After her second-round loss at the Australian Open, Bianca Andreescu reminded that tennis was sometimes ungrateful. “It’s one of those rare sports where you can win more points than your opponent and still lose,” emphasized the Canadian.
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On Thursday, Leylah Fernandez won as many rallies as France’s Caroline Garcia. In the stats column next to their two names is “81 points gained”.
However, it is the fourth seed, one of the strongest women on the circuit at the moment, who triumphed in this second round 7-6 (5), 7-5 in 1 hr 52 min.
The Quebecer played better tennis than the French, but the latter won the crucial points. Thanks largely to an unstoppable serve at those key moments: Garcia saved six of the nine break points she scored with aces.
“I don’t remember ever seeing that,” Leylah admitted to reporters.
Six aces on break points
Just over an hour after shaking hands with her rival and leaving the center, the world’s 40th appeared calm.
Without saying that she was proud of her achievement, she was glad to have faced the champion of the last Masters at the end of the year. A player who, at 29, has been achieving the best results of her career for a few months.
“My feelings are mixed,” Leylah said, still finding a way to smile a little. I’m disappointed because I lost even though I played a good match. But there’s a lot to learn from that performance over time and I’m excited for the rest of my season.
In a coat in the middle of summer
Because the outcome of that fight could have been very different if Garcia hadn’t found himself with his back to the wall every time.
The organizers had reserved the Rod Laver Arena, the largest stadium in Melbourne, for this interesting poster between the semi-finalist of the last US Open and the 2021 finalist.
Stimulated by the previous clash between second-placed Norway’s Casper Ruud and American Jenson Brooksby, 39 (the latter won in four sets), the center gradually emptied around 5pm as the two players set foot there.
Aside from a few “go caro!” and “Let’s go Leylah!” the atmosphere was chilled, as was the 18 degree ambient temperature, forcing viewers to wrap up warm in the middle of the Australian summer.
Garcia’s flight
But it was hot on the floor. Two years ago in New York, little Leylah got into the habit of tripping a giantess. She’s not afraid of those big gatherings, on those big stages. And it was she, less unpredictable, who made the first break of the game at 2:2.
In the next game, the 20-year-old Quebecois led 30-0 on serve. Annoyed, Garcia banged her bat on the ground. A gesture of frustration that seemed to liberate her as the French then began adding up the winning shots only to break in turn.
Then Fernandez took a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak. A seemingly almost insurmountable lead that her rival quickly erased, thanks in particular to a double fault from Leylah before winning the set with one of her 11 aces in play.
“After set point I felt stolen, imagining the fourth seed. I was always late in this set. I couldn’t say anything about his service. All of his service games were very fast and I struggled with mine.”
Still to learn
In the second set, Lavalloise was unable to take advantage of three break chances offered by Garcia. Rather, it was the latter who broke the former thanks to two mistakes by Leylah, giving himself a valuable 6-5 lead.
Despite another tight game on her serve, the Frenchman held on. And despite Fernandez playing one of their best matches in recent months, Fernandez’s singles run in Melbourne was over. She will continue on Thursday in doubles alongside American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
“I still have to learn something. I learned in this match that a small opening like in a tie-break is not enough,” Leylah regretted.