Leylah Fernandez continues to roll in Japan.
The 23-year-old from Laval, Que., who won the Japan Open in Osaka on Sunday for her fifth career singles title, defeated Maria Sakkari of Greece in the opening round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Monday night.
Fernandez took two hours, two minutes to beat the 30-year-old qualifier 7-6 (5), 6-4.
The Canadian finished the match with two aces, one double fault, 47 unforced errors and 32 winners. Fernandez won 58 per cent of her first serve points and 50 per cent of second serve points.
She saved six of 11 break points and won six of 10 break points.
“Any match against Maria is going to be tough,” Fernandez said after the match, per the WTA. “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.”
In a later match, Victoria Mboko of Toronto beat Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Ontario battle. The match took 73 minutes to play.
The win snapped a four-match losing streak for Mboko, who hadn’t triumphed since taking the National Bank Open presented by Rogers title in August in Montreal.
Mboko also had success on the courts in Japan in the spring when she won a pair of Billie Jean King Cup matches.
“Playing here kind of made me think back to April,” Mboko said after the match, per the WTA. “I had a really great week and had a lot of fun playing on this court. When I was walking back out (Tuesday), I had the same feeling. It brought me some nostalgia, and I felt really happy to be here.”
Andreescu had 19 unforced errors, while Mboko had 18. Mboko had three double faults, one ace and 21 winners.
The Toronto teen won 77 per cent of first serve points and 50 per cent of second serve points. She won three of eight return games.
AloJapan.com