Fernandez Bested by Gauff in Australian Open Third Round

Photo : Martin Sidorjak

Canada’s hope for a singles title at the 2025 Australian Open came to an end on Friday as Leylah Annie Fernandez, the last Canadian standing in Melbourne, was beaten in the third round by world No. 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets.

Gauff’s combination of speed and power was once again too much for Fernandez in their second match in the last match month. The American dictated the pace much of the way in a 6-4, 6-2 win.

In her previous matches in Melbourne, Fernandez was the main aggressor, but she struggled to wrestle control away from Gauff in this one, only managing seven winners to the American’s 18. She also had 23 unforced errors. The Gauff serve made life difficult for the Canadian, as the world No. 3 lost just three points when landing her first serve.

The first sign of trouble for Fernandez came in the third game when three straight mistakes, including a double fault, from the Canadian gave Gauff a love-40 opening. On that occasion, the Lavalloise was able to win five points in a row to escape with a hold.

At 3-3, difficulty on the backhand side cost the Canadian. Fernandez missed six of them in the game, five unforced errors, including three in a row from AD-40 up to hand Gauff the first break of the match. The American coasted on serve from there, winning eight of nine points on her own delivery to take the opening set.

Gauff kept the Canadian under pressure to start in the second, drawing back-to-back forehand errors from Fernandez in the opening game to score an immediate break.

The American looked like she was going to run away with the match when she broke to love for a 3-0 double-break lead, but out of nowhere, Gauff’s level dropped dramatically in the fourth game. She hit back-to-back double-faults to give one of the breaks right back to Fernandez.

However, the Canadian could not take advantage of the reprieve. She double-faulted herself to start the next game and proceeded to throw in a slew of unforced errors, gifting the break and momentum back to Gauff. Fernandez never had another chance to recover the breaks as the world No. 3 clamped down on serve to finish off the match.

With Fernandez’s loss, no Canadians remain in singles at the Australian Open. All three Canadian men lost in the second round, while Rebecca Marino was beaten in round one.

Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski are both still alive in the women’s doubles. Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe won their second-round match on Friday in three sets, rallying from a set down for the second time this year at Melbourne Park.

Tickets for the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1^st Round tie between Canada and Hungary are now on sale. Join us February 1 and 2 at IGA Stadium in Montreal, as the Canadian team begins their quest for the 2025 Davis Cup Final 8. To access tickets at early-bird pricing, click here.

Written By

Pete Borkowski