Leylah Fernandez is into the second round of the US Open after beating Oceane Dodin 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 13 minutes under the lights of Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Canadian hit 26 winners and served 10 aces against a tricky French opponent in Dodin.
” It was extremely tough but I was excited to play and I felt confident and I waited all day but I really enjoyed it”.
Fernandez’s encounter was the last match scheduled on Louis Armstrong but that didn’t matter as the crowd remained electric, especially with a lot of Canadian flags being waved.
To the delight of her fans in attendance, the Montreal native got the early break in the first set but at 4-2, Dodin fought back breaking right back. However, the Frenchwoman failed to consolidate the break. Enabling the 19-year-old to serve out the first set and it looked like she was asserting her dominance on the court.
The second set had a similar pattern with the 2021 US Open finalist getting the early break but again the Frenchwomen responded by breaking right back.
At 3-3, Fernandez hit an incredible passing shot winner to set up two more breakpoints and with the crucial break of serve was able to serve out the match and book her spot in round two.
After the match in her on-court interview, she was asked about her foot and how she was feeling since coming back from injury.
” It’s not 100% but it is getting better day by day and I want to keep going because I am so motivated to play”. She said.
Fernandez’s win made it a perfect day for Canadian tennis as all four Canadians who were in action managed to secure wins on day one. Most notably Rebecca Marino beat Magdalena Frech in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
