Canadian Leylah Fernandez defeated Storm Sanders 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in her opening match at the National Bank Open.
Fernandez denied the No. 279-ranked Sanders of a first-round upset, closing out the marathon match in the third set after taking the first and dropping the second in a tie break.
Fernandez had two chances to end the contest in the second set, but couldn’t convert either match points.
Losing the first and third games in the third set, Fernandez held serve in the second and fourth games, and broke Sanders in the fifth.
The tournament marks the first time Fernandez is competing at a tour event since suffering a fracture to her foot in a three-set quarterfinal loss at Roland Garros to Italy’s Martina Trevisan.
