Leylah Annie Fernandez was not able to upset world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday, eventually losing 6-1, 6-1.
The 20-year-old Quebecer lost after one hour and 12 minutes. The 37th-ranked player in the world is now 0-2 in her career against Swiatek, having lost 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 16 at the 2022 tournament in Adelaide.
The match didn't start well for Fernandez, who was broken in her first game on serve. Swiatek quickly established her game and showed her superiority, building a 3-0 lead in the process.
Swiatek closed out the first set with 10 winners, compared to only four for Laval. She also broke the 2021 U.S. Open finalist three times in four opportunities in the first set alone -- and she didn't lose her composure, even though Fernandez broke her serve on her only opportunity of the set.
The Polish steamroller continued its work in the second set, ending the match with five aces, six breaks and only one double fault. She sealed the outcome with a winner down the line on the return of serve.
Swiatek, the tournament favourite, is seeking her second singles title this season and 13th overall on the WTA Tour.
She will face Russian Liudmila Samsonova, the 14th seed, in the next round.
Fernandez, on the other hand, will be able to get back on track in the women's doubles tournament. The Canadian and her American partner Bethany Mattek-Sands will meet China's Xu Yifan and Russia's Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the round of 16 on Wednesday morning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 21, 2023.
