It was a perfect day for the Canadian women on the red clay of Roland-Garros on Monday.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was in flawless form, cruising past Jessika Ponchet 6-2, 6-0 in 69 minutes to advance to the second round of the French Open.
The former US Open finalist fired 23 winners and converted five of 11 break points in a dominant display on Court 10 in Paris.
The 21-year-old also won an impressive 82% of points on her first serve, and finished nine of 12 at the net in the decisive victory.
The Canadian came storming out of the gates, securing an early break of serve as her precise and powerful groundstrokes left her French opponent scrambling early.
Making use of her all-court game, Fernandez quickly built a 5-1 opening set lead with two breaks of Ponchet.
The Frenchwoman offered brief resistance at 1-5, staving off four set points, but Fernandez was not deterred.
She closed out a convincing set on serve, wrapping up the 6-2 score-line in 39 minutes.
The second set would prove to be even more one-sided for the 21-year-old from Laval.
Again, Fernandez seized the opening game, hitting a pair of winners, and overcoming Ponchet in a 14-ball rally to break for an early 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Frenchwoman was left helpless on return, registering zero break point chances against the Canadian’s serve.
The left-hander further extended her insurmountable lead with a second break of serve, holding for a 6-2, 4-0 advantage.
After a fifth break of serve, Fernandez would close the match out on serve, securing the victory on her fourth match point as Ponchet sent a forehand long.
It’s Fernandez’s ninth career match win at Roland Garros.
The Canadian enjoyed her best result in 2022, reaching the quarterfinals of the event.
She’ll face Xiyu Wang of China in the second round on Wednesday.
Andreescu rips past Sorribes Tormo to advance in Paris
Photo/WTA
Bianca Andreescu also made a triumphant return to the circuit, defeating Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-1 in 1 hour and 34 minutes to advance to the second round of the French Open on Monday.
In their second career meeting, the 23-year-old hit 42 winners and broke serve seven times in a powerful display on the red clay.
Competing in her first professional match since August, the Canadian showed no signs of rust, imposing her aggressive game style to overcome the skilled Spaniard.
The showdown was competitive from the outset, as Andreescu looked to overwhelm Sorribes Tormo with her powerful groundstrokes.
The first set opened with three consecutive breaks of serve, before the Mississauga native finally found an edge on the scoreboard, holding for a 3-1 lead.
The Spaniard responded, capitalizing off a series of unforced errors from the Canuck, breaking back to level the set at 4-all.
Again, the players exchanged breaks of serve, before Andreescu hit a crucial backhand winner to push ahead 6-5.
She would serve out the opener at the second time of asking, closing it 7-5 in 62 minutes.
The second set was far more one-sided in the favor of the Canadian.
The former US Open champion broke the Spaniard in the opening game, dictating rallies with her powerful forehand wing and net game.
A second break of the Spaniard and confident service hold pushed the Canadian ahead to a commanding 7-5, 5-1 advantage.
The Canadian would break one more time to wrap up the dominant victory, securing her spot in the round of 64 in Paris.
Andreescu converted 64% of her break point chances, and proved exceptionally efficient moving forward, winning 30 of 39 contested points at the net.
It’s her fifth career match win at Roland-Garros – she’ll face 23rd seed Anna Kalinskaya in the second round.
