Fernandez’s Guadalajara Run Ended by Kenin

One day after reaching her first WTA 1000 quarter-final, Leylah Annie Fernandez had her impressive week at the Guadalajara Open ended by an in-form Sofia Kenin who posted a 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-1 victory over the Canadian to reach the semifinals.

The match, which lasted well over two hours, was full of ups and downs, especially in the first two sets. Kenin grabbed the early advantage as she was able to use her backhand to dictate many of the points, but Fernandez, who hit 15 aces in the contest, came back strong in set two. She served to level the match at 5-3 and could not convert. Then Kenin appeared to be on her way to securing a win in straight sets when she jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak, but Fernandez once again clawed her way back, winning seven of the final nine points to force a third set. The final frame was one-way traffic as the American was able to find another gear that Fernandez could not match.

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Despite the loss, the 21-year-old Canadian gained valuable ranking points in Guadalajara that will allow her to move back inside the top 60 when Monday’s new WTA rankings are published. She’s also still in the doubles draw with partner Taylor Townsend. The pair will attempt to join Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe in the semifinals when they take on Jasmine Paolini and Mayar Sherif on Thursday evening. Dabrowski and Routliffe booked their spot in the final four thanks to a 7-5, 0-6, 10-7 triumph over Ulrikke Eikeri and Ingrid Neel.