Leylah Annie Fernandez needed to pull out every trick she had to fight past Kamilla Rakhimova on Thursday at the Wuhan Open, grinding out a nearly-three-hour win to reach the third round of the WTA 1000 event.
From in control to the brink of defeat, the Canadian survived another roller-coaster in Wuhan. Fernandez looked well positioned after dominating the opening set but Rakhimova dragged her into a battle and appeared on the verge of victory when she led the third-set tiebreak. But the Canadian did what she does best, mounting a thrilling comeback to escape with a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(4) win.
In a tight battle decided on the margins, Fernandez was fractionally better on serve, winning 70 per cent of her first serve points. Despite putting just 55 per cent of first serves in play compared to her opponent’s 62, the Canadian won more second serve points with 49 per cent to Rakhimova’s 46. Fernandez also saved six of 10 break points while converting five of 12 opportunities.
Both women had to survive break points in their early service games before the Canadian made the first move, carving a drop shot that caught her opponent flat-footed to break for a 4-2 lead. Fernandez ended up winning the last four games of the first set in a row, breaking again with a forehand volley winner to take it.
The Canadian had a chance to seize full control of the match when she held a break point in Rakhimova’s first service game of the second set but could not run down a drop shot from the world No. 66.
Rakhimova made Fernandez pay immediately, breaking for the first time in the following game with a beautiful lob winner. The Canadian managed to break back for 3-3 but was unable to build any momentum. Serving at 5-all, 30-all, Fernandez missed back-to-back midcourt volleys to drop serve and Rakhimova promptly served the match into a decider.
A chaotic start to the third set that saw four consecutive breaks, including back-to-back breaks to love in the third and fourth games, failed to give either player a decisive advantage. After the early drama, the two settled in on serve with neither losing more than two points on serve in a game through the next seven games.
Fernandez was the first to get into a service game late in the decider and did so at the perfect time, setting up a match point on Rakhimova’s serve at 5-6 but could not convert. That miss looked costly when she then fell behind 3-0 in the match tiebreak.
But the Canadian had one more push in her. Back-to-back forehand winners got her on the scoreboard and then a clean return winner got the minibreak back as she closed to 3-4. Fernandez now had the wind and finished strong, winning the last five points in row, including the last two on Rakhimova’s serve, to sneak out the win.
The Canadian now has a chance to reach her third WTA 1000 quarter-final of the season. To do so, she will need a repeat of the first such event in 2024 as she takes on fifth seed and home favourite Qinwen Zheng in the last sixteen. Fernandez defeated Zheng in the third round of the Qatar Open in straight sets back in February. She leads their head-to-head 2-0.
