Leylah Fernandez suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of Rebeka Masarova, ranked 160th in the world from Switzerland, at the Italian Open in Rome. The match unfolded with Fernandez claiming the first set, but Masarova fought back in the second and displayed a strong serve in the third set, winning an impressive 95% of her first-serve points. Fernandez, who is currently ranked 23rd globally and seeded 25th in the tournament, managed one ace but also committed five double faults during the match.
Masarova capitalized on her opportunities, converting five out of 10 break-point chances in the two-hour, 23-minute clay-court battle. Meanwhile, Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime remains the lone Canadian contender in the singles competition and is set to play against Mariano Navone from Argentina in the round of 64.
In the women’s doubles event, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani, the fourth seeds, will kick off their campaign against the duo of Marie Bouzkova from Czechia and Anna Panova from Russia. Additionally, Leylah Fernandez will team up with Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto to face off against Americans Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in their opening match.
