Tokyo is a six-and-a-half-hour drive or nearly a four-hour train ride from Osaka. So as far as quick turnarounds go, it wasn’t the toughest Leylah Fernandez has faced in her career.
Still, after playing five consecutive matches en route to a title last week, questions lingered about how she’d fare in her first-round match against Maria Sakkari.
Those questions persisted well into the first set, as Fernandez fell behind 5-2. She then won four straight games to force a tiebreak, where she rallied from a 4-0 deficit, and won seven of the next eight points to take the opening set. She trailed by a break again in the second but ultimately prevailed, defeating the former top 10 player 7-6 (5), 6-4 in two hours.
Although Sakkari entered the tournament as a qualifier, Fernandez wasn’t about to overlook her.
“Any match against Maria is going to be tough,” Fernandez said after the match. “She fights so, so hard, and she’s super aggressive. So, I’m just glad I was able to stay positive, at least for the most part, and of course, the cheers from the crowd really helped me, so arigato for cheering me on.”
That didn’t mean Fernandez was able to cruise to victory, however. Sakkari had beaten her three times before, and Fernandez had to work through several challenges to flip the script Tuesday in Tokyo.
Overcoming serving struggles: On paper, Fernandez’s performance on serve appears solid, as she landed 66% of her first serves, well above her season average. But she won just 59% of those points — below her usual mark — and was broken three times in the first set and five times overall.
Her answer? Matching Sakkari break-for-break.
After Sakkari broke twice to take a 4-2 lead in the first set, Fernandez broke back twice, first as Sakkari served for the set, then again to go up 6-5. In between, Fernandez delivered a clutch ace while serving down 5-4, fending off the second of three set points Sakkari earned in that game.
Timely forehands: The biggest setback in Fernandez’s game, especially early on, was her forehand. Of the 30 unforced errors she committed in the first set, most came off the forehand.
But in the biggest moments, the shot delivered. Time after time, Fernandez leaned on her forehand, never losing faith despite its inconsistency.
And it paid off.
Facing the first of those three set points in the opening set, Fernandez fended it off with a forehand winner to reach deuce. After holding serve, she went back to the shot two games later, saving a break point with a clutch forehand down the line.
In the second set, the forehand became a weapon as opposed to a defensive tactic. Down a break at 4-3, Fernandez ripped another winner to convert a break point and get back on serve. She broke at love, then broke again in the final game, sealing the match with one last forehand winner.
Win streaks continue: The victory extended several streaks for Fernandez.
Following her title in Osaka and her win Tuesday, she now has six straight wins — her longest streak since October 2023, when she won eight in a row. The win also marked her fifth consecutive victory over qualifiers.
And while Sakkari still leads their head-to-head 3-2, Fernandez has won the last two meetings, both in straight sets.
Looking ahead: Fernandez will next face Elena Rybakina, last week’s other title winner, in the second round.
The Canadian leads their head-to-head 2-1, with all three matches coming in the past two years. Fernandez won the last two, including a semifinal victory in Washington, D.C., on her way to the title in July.
On the line for Fernandez is a chance to extend her win streak and maintain her edge over Rybakina, but that will be easier said than done as Rybakina is in a must-win situation as she continues her late-season push to earn a bid to the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
AloJapan.com