Leading 5-1 in the second set, Quebec’s Leylah Fernandez lost her means and was defeated 6-4, 7-5 by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of Monday’s Cincinnati tournament.
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Worse, with balls in hand and two set points, the Maple Leaf representative was unable to force an ultimate set save at 5-1 (40-15).
The 13th seed of the Ohio-controversial Masters 1000 suffered a total of six breaks, including four in the final set. The 27th player in the world increased her level of play when her back was against the wall and Fernandez was unable to follow the save.
The Montreal native and 14th player on the world chessboard ended her struggle with a success rate of just 61% when she got her first serve in play, as well as making eight double faults.
It’s also Groundhog Day for Fernandez, who never made it past the first round in Cincinnati in three career appearances at this meetup.
The Ahornblatt member missed a big chance for the first time, playing against an opponent who had not played a competitive game for two months.
The Russian had played her last duel in Berlin in June and her gridlock was particularly felt, committing 14 double faults and serving only 52% of her first serves. However, in such circumstances, it was effective and won 84% of the trade.
In all, she gave Fernandez five break points and was only able to save one, but her opportunism in return allowed her to repel her rival.
In her second round, Alexandrova meets the winner of the duel between Naomi Osaka from Japan and Zhang Shuai from China. The two women meet on Tuesday.
The Canadian Denis Shapovalov will also be in action in Ohio in the evening. He will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, who is the 16th seed in the event.