Canada's Fernandez reaches semis in China, setting up rematch with Siniakova
Canadian beat Czech rival in Hong Kong Open final last week for 1st title of season
Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez moved closer to her second straight WTA Tour title Friday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in quarterfinal action at the Jiangxi Open.
The 22-year-old had four aces and broke her Belarusian opponent four times on seven chances as she increased her winning streak to eight matches.
"Last time I played against Sasnovich it was three sets," said Fernandez, who lost the only other meeting between the two earlier this year in Rome. "She's very offensive, very aggressive, very fast too. So I just tried to be faster than her and put one more ball in."
Fernandez will face Czechia's Katerina Siniakova in Saturday's semifinals. It's a rematch of the final of last week's Hong Kong Open, which Fernandez won in three sets to claim her first title in 19 months.
WATCH | Fernandez downs Sasnovich:
The Laval, Que., product had to play two matches Friday due to Thursday's wet weather in Nanchang. She beat Chinese qualifier You Xiaodi 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the quarters.
"It was definitely hard, emotionally and mentally," Fernandez said of playing twice in one day. "But I've been training in extremely tough conditions at home. My coach has pushed me hard mentally, emotionally and physically so I can get ready for these types of matches and these types of days.
"[My opponents had] completely different games. Xiaodi was very difficult to play against — one, she had the home crowd with her and two, her game is very different from a lot of the women I play on tour. It was hard to adjust but I'm happy I found solutions."
WATCH | Fernandez tops You:
A U.S. Open finalist in 2021, Fernandez has struggled with injuries and consistency in recent months, but has shown a return to form of late.
She entered the Jiangxi Open ranked 43rd in the world, up from 60th entering the Hong Kong Open.
Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime went down quietly against American qualifier Marcos Giron in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open.
The Montreal native fell 6-1, 6-4 against his 79th-ranked opponent.
Giron, who will meet American Robby Shelton next, made a fast start in both sets to carry him to an 81-minute win against Auger-Aliassime, who had reached his first tour-level quarterfinal since May.
With files from The Associated Press
