US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarter-finals at the French Open for the first time on Sunday following a three-set win over the 27th seed Amanda Anisimova.
Fernandez, 19, who claimed the girls’ singles title in 2019, won 6–3, 4-6, 6-3 on centre court after a two hour tussle.
The Canadian, seeded 17th, took the first set and in a see-saw battle in the second set, got herself back into the reckoning when Anisimova failed to serve out while leading 5-3.
However, Fernandez failed to capitalize and was broken to send the match into a decider.
It was the 20-year-old American who cracked first in the fifth game. And Fernandez held to lead 4-2.
Anisimova, who reached the semi-final in the main draw as Fernandez was romping through the girl’s tournament, kept in touch but Fernandez held her nerve to edge ahead 5-3.
And despite having several chances to force Fernandez to serve for the match, she eventually faltered.
“It was a complicated match,” said Fernandez. “Amanda is a great player.”
Fernandez will play the unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan on Tuesday for a place in Thursday’s semi-final.
The 28-year-old reached the last eight at the French Open for the second time in three years with a gritty straight sets win over the unseeded Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
It finished 7-6, 7-5 after one hour and 59 minutes.
