The draw gods weren’t type to Leylah Annie Fernandez in Rome, however that didn’t cease her from inflicting an upset in her opening match on the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Making her predominant draw debut in Rome, Fernandez upset 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, rallying from a set all the way down to defeat the 2021 Roland Garros runner-up 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.
It’s the second time within the final 12 months that the Canadian has crushed Pavlyuchenkova after dropping the opening set, having beforehand achieved the feat final fall in Indian Wells.
This time, Fernandez ripped 30 winners, 10 greater than her opponent, 27 of them coming within the second and third units. She additionally benefitted from 43 unforced errors off the racket of Pavlyuchenkova. The Canadian additionally feasted on her opponent’s serve, profitable 82 p.c of the 14th seed’s second serve factors.
The match began effectively for Fernandez, who held serve within the opening sport after which had a break level for a 2-0 lead.
However after Pavlyuchenkova saved it with a giant serve, the 2021 French Open runner-up fully turned the match round. Pavlyuchenkova merely refused to offer an inch on the baseline as she gained six straight video games, breaking Fernandez thrice, racing by way of the opening set.
The beginning of the second set was just like the primary, with Fernandez taking a look at an early break. This time, she ripped a backhand winner down the road to transform and break for a 2-1 lead.
That one break shifted the momentum to the Canadian, who added a second to go up 4-1. Whereas Pavlyuchenkova instantly broke again, Fernandez stored attacking and rapidly reclaimed the double-break lead earlier than serving the match right into a deciding set.
As soon as once more, Fernandez had an early have a look at a break within the third set, going up love-40 in her opponent’s second service sport. She ripped a clear return winner down the road to grab the initiative within the deciding set.
With Fernandez forward, the end result look assured because the Canadian appeared to be rising in confidence, whereas Pavlyuchenkova regarded defeated, hardly placing up any resistance as {the teenager} made her run laps across the baseline.
A second break, once more arrange by an enormous return, gave the Canadian all of the cushion she wanted to finish the comeback victory.
The draw won’t get a lot simpler for Fernandez, as she is going to meet Daria Kasatkina within the second spherical, with a possible showdown with world No. 2 Paula Badosa on the horizon in spherical three.
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