Leylah Fernandez wins opening match at Australian Open

Canadian Leylah Fernandez Secures First-Round Victory at Australian Open

The wait was well worth it for Canadian tennis sensation Leylah Fernandez.

Fernandez emerged victorious in her first-round women’s singles match at the Australian Open, defeating Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva with a score of 7-5, 6-4. The match had been interrupted by a rain delay on Saturday when Fernandez was leading 5-3 in the opening set.

Seeded 30th in the tournament, Fernandez, hailing from Montreal, is set to face Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the second round on Tuesday.

Despite only recording two aces compared to Starodubtseva’s six and committing six double faults (two more than her opponent), Fernandez managed to secure victory by breaking her opponent’s serve five times out of 10 attempts. In contrast, Starodubtseva converted on three of her 11 break point opportunities.

Another Canadian player, Rebecca Marino, is scheduled to compete in her first-round women’s singles match against Britain’s Katie Boulter on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was originally published on January 12, 2025.