Laval's Leylah Fernandez falls to Pegula in three-set quarterfinal match at Cincinnati Open

Canada's Leylah Fernandez reacts during her match against Japan's Nao Hibino at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. (Chris Young, The Canadian Press)

Canada's Leylah Fernandez suffered a 7-5, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3) defeat at the hands of American Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

Already having to win one tiebreaker just to keep herself in the match, Fernandez needed to do it once more to advance to the semifinals. However, Pegula jumped out to a 5-2 lead before eventually taking the tiebreaker 7-3 to emerge victorious.

Fernandez of Laval, Que., broke on six of her 15 opportunities and won 59.4 per cent of her first-serve points in the three-hour four-minute match.

The 21-year-old also had five aces to six double faults.

Pegula, the sixth seed in the tournament, broke on seven of her 15 chances and won 62.8 per cent of her first-serve points.

She had three aces to seven double faults in the match.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Aug. 17, 2024.