Canada’s Leylah Fernandez kicked off her Madrid Open marketing campaign Thursday with a straight-sets win over Julia Grabher.
The 23-year-old from Laval, Que., seeded twenty fourth, defeated the Austrian 6-2, 6-3 to enhance to 3-0 all-time in opposition to the world No. 107.
Fernandez, who obtained a first-round bye, advances to the third spherical and can subsequent face American Iva Jovic, the fifteenth seed, who beat Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4, 6-1.
Fernandez didn’t report an ace and had 5 double faults, in comparison with three aces and one double fault for Grabher. The Canadian made probably the most of her probabilities, changing 4 of six break-point alternatives whereas limiting Grabher to 1 break on two probabilities.
Victoria Mboko, of Burlington, Ont., seeded tenth, is scheduled to start her event Friday in opposition to American Catherine McNally. Mboko can also be set to compete in doubles alongside Jovic.
On the boys’s facet, No. 3 seed Félix Auger-Aliassime, of Montreal, faces Vilius Gaubas, fellow Montrealer Gabriel Diallo, seeded 32, meets Elmer Moller, and No. 31 Denis Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., awaits the winner of a match between Nicolai Budkov Kjaer and Reilly Opelka.
