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Leylah Annie Fernandez picked up the place she left off for the nationwide group after her stellar performance at the Billie Jean King Cup in November, main Canada to victory over Chile of their first-ever tie on the United Cup.
The three-time Billie Jean King Cup Coronary heart Award winner opened the tie with a routine victory over Daniela Seguel earlier than sealing the victory for Canada within the blended doubles alongside Steven Diez. Diez, filling in for Felix Auger-Aliassime, misplaced the boys’s singles match to world No. 19 Nicolas Jarry in two tight units.
Regardless of Seguel placing 84 per cent of her first serves in play, Fernandez feasted on return, successful 56 per cent of her opponent’s service factors and breaking serve 5 occasions within the 6-2, 6-3 win.
Fernandez put stress on her Chilean opponent proper from the beginning, breaking the primary two occasions Seguel stepped as much as the road, though the Canadian did herself get damaged as soon as between these twos breaks. However she backed up the second with a maintain to like and completed off the set with a 3rd break.
Seguel flipped the script to start out the second set, breaking within the opening sport and taking a 2-0 earlier than Fernandez reclaimed the initiative. The Canadian obtained again on serve by ripping a backhand winner to interrupt for 2-2 as she received six of the final seven video games to attain the primary level for Canada.
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The decisive second got here at 4-3 when on break level Fernandez ripped a backhand return crosscourt and adopted it into the web, placing away a phenomenal low volley winner to set herself as much as serve out the match.
Diez Presses however Can’t End
Steven Diez confronted a tall process with a view to shut out the tie for Canada as he took on a participant ranked practically 300 spots forward of him within the type of Nicolas Jarry.
The Canadian carried out admirably instead of Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was coping with a knee damage, however cracked late in each units to drop a 7-5, 6-4 determination.
All through each units, Diez, who’s conversant in success at these group competitions in Australia early within the season having been a member of Canada’s 2022 ATP Cup-winning squad, did a formidable job of hanging with Jarry. Nevertheless, he didn’t make any inroads on the Chilean’s serve, by no means holding a break level within the match.
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Regardless of going toe-to-toe with the world No. 19 for the higher a part of one hour, 52-minute affair, he was damaged as he served to remain within the set at 5-6 within the first after which once more attempting to remain within the match at 4-5 within the second to ship the tie to a decisive doubles match.
Accomplished Deal in Doubles
Fernandez and Diez returned to the courtroom for the blended doubles, whereas Seguel teamed up with Tomas Barrios Vera. The decider was a nailbiter with each units and the match tiebreak coming right down to the wire, however the Canadians had been in a position to end the job to win the doubles 7-5, 4-6, [10-8] and take the tie 2-1.
It appeared as if the Canadian group had been in retailer for a simple victory after they raced out to a double-break 4-0 lead, just for the Chilean’s to save lots of 4 set factors and claw again to stage the primary set at 5-5.
However serving at 5-6 as she confronted set factors, Seguel obtained a little bit of déjà-vu when Fernandez used her robust return to steal the set, firing a backhand return winner down the road to seal it for Canada.
The Chileans held on in a break-point-filled second set, breaking twice to power the match to a deciding tremendous tiebreak. There the Canadians needed to play catch up a number of occasions, first happening an early minibreak to path 1-3 after which appeared getting ready to defeat at 6-8.
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Nevertheless, the Canadian squad dug in and received the final 4 factors in a row, capped off with one other large Fernandez forehand, to complete off the win.
With the win, Canada sits atop Group Sydney Group B. Their subsequent tie shall be on Jan. 3 in opposition to Greece. A victory would see Canada win the group and advance to the quarter-finals, though they might advance even with a loss as one of the best second-place group relying on how the tiebreakers land.
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