Leylah Annie Fernandez of Montreal, Quebec, pulled off a stunning upset at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday. In the second round, Fernandez, a finalist at the 2021 United States Open, defeated fourth-seeded and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 3-6, 7-6, 6-4. A key statistic of the match was the fact that Rybakina made 17 double faults.
This was Fernandez’s first victory over Rybakina. In their only previous meeting, Rybakina won 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of Doha in February this year. Fernandez’s other victory at the 2024 Cincinnati Open came in the first round on Wednesday, when she defeated China’s Yue Yuan 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Fernandez will next face Russia’s Diana Shnaider in what will be their first direct clash. Shnaider made headlines earlier this month when she won an Olympic silver medal in the women’s doubles with Mirra Andreeva. Olympic Games 2024 in Paris with the individual neutral athletes.
Meanwhile, Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal will play Casper Ruud of Norway in the second round on Friday. Auger-Aliassime has beaten Ruud three times in six meetings. The first time was in the first round in Miami 2018 (3-6, 6-1, 6-2). The second time was in the fourth round in Madrid 2024 (6-4, 7-5), the third time was in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (6-4, 6-7, 6-3).
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