Canada's Fernandez wins qualifying opener at Western & Southern Open
17-year-old needs 1 more win to guarantee spot in main draw
Montreal's Leylah Annie Fernandez upset No. 2 qualifying seed Anna Blinkova of Russia 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round of qualifying for the Western & Southern Open on Thursday in New York.
The 17-year-old Fernandez, ranked 111th, held serve the entire match against the 62nd-ranked Blinkova, facing just one break point.
Players need to win two qualifying matches to earn a guaranteed spot in the main draw of the U.S. Open tuneup event.
The tournament usually is held in Cincinnati, but has been moved to the same site as the U.S. Open this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fernandez, from Laval, Que., will face the winner of a match between Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany and Kristie Ahn of the United States in the final round of qualifying on Friday.
Fernandez is the lone Canadian woman in the U.S. Open field.
