Tennis News: Canadian tennis player, Leylah Annie Fernandez had to fight hard to pass the very competitive first round of the Roland-Garros season 2023.
The 2021 US Open finalist had to battle for 2 hours and 11 minutes to defeat 21st seed Magda Linette 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the first round of French Open.
The tennis player who made it to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, Paris last season managed to beat Polish national Linette for the second time in their third encounter. Both of those wins came at Roland Garros after also knocking out the 21st seed when they met in the first round of his 2020 season.
“It was a very difficult first round match,” admits Annie Fernandez. “In previous seasons we played against each other, always finishing in three sets and this time it was no different.”
“I think the biggest key to this game was being aggressive, attacking at the crucial moments and staying positive, not letting a small mistake affect me or the game frustrate me. I’m just relieved to could last the whole game.”
From 1 to 3, the Canadian tennis player snatched five games in a row to lead by a set. However, Australian Open 2023 semi-finalist Linette came back in the second set and leveled the match in one set.
Both players each saved a number of break chances in the third set before the Canadian took a 5-3 lead. She wasted the first match point by committing a double fault, but she forced Linette into an error at the second opportunity to win.
Annie Fernandez will then face Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the second round of Roland-Garros. The match will be a rematch of the Australian Open 2019 junior category final won by Tauson.
Unlike Annie Fernandez, Tauson appeared dominant as he crushed Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-0.
In the draw of the same match which brought together two tennis players who received wildcards, the host tennis player, Leolia Jeanjean gave her best to sink the Australian tennis player, Kimberly Birrell 6 -4, 6-7, 6-3. In the second round, she will face the twelfth seed, Belinda Bencic or the lucky loser, Elina Avanesyan.
In other action, Egyptian tennis player, Mayar Sherif showed capable play as she sank American tennis player, Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-1 and booked her French Open second round match against the 24th seeded Anastasia Potapova crushed Brengle’s compatriot Taylor Townsend 6-1, 6-2.
Article tags: Tennis, French Open, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Magda Linette
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