Summary:
- Leylah Fernandez pulled her first win (6-2, 6-0) against Maria Sakkari in Beijing.
- Fernandez converted all five break points and will next face No. 2 seed Coco Gauff.
- Fellow Canadian Victoria Mboko meets Anastasia Potapova in second-round action Saturday.
Canada’s Leylah Fernandez finally broke through against Greek star Maria Sakkari on Friday, after dropping her first three meetings with the 30-year-old from Athens.
The 23-year-old Canadian had her revenge at the China Open with a comfortable 6-2, 6-0 second-round win.
STRAIGHT SETS 👊@leylahfernandez gets her first win in four attempts over Sakkari, 6-2, 6-0.#2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/r9Bhd7gKUf
— wta (@WTA) September 26, 2025
The 25th-seeded player at the WTA 1000 event, which simulate a Masters 1000 series tournament on the ATP Tour, in Beijing, the Montreal native was taking to court for the first time since losing to top seed and eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka in last month’s U.S. Open third round.
The 56th-ranked Sakkari, who also exited in the third round of the year’s final Grand Slam, lost to Magda Linette.
Once as high as world No. 3 in 2022, she never found her footing on Friday. Leylah Fernandez punished her second serve, winning more than 63 percent of those points, and made good on all five of her break chances.
Next Up, Coco Gauff
Next up for Fernandez is surely a tough test as world No 2 Coco Gauff is destined to be her opponent. The 21-year-old, born in Atlanta, Georgia, moved through her second-round match by winning 6-4, 6-0 over Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova.
Gauff has defeated Fernandez twice this season, both in Australia, and hasn’t dropped a set against her.
Another Canadian will also be in action this weekend, as 21st seed Victoria Mbokois getting ready to play against Anastasia Potapova in the second round on Saturday.
Take advantage of the heated action by placing your bets online at TigerGaming and staying up-to-date with the Canadians’ battles in real time. With 96 singles players and 32 doubles teams fighting for the coveted titles, the action is prone to keep you stranded on the edge of your seats.
Mboko captured the National Bank Open title in Montreal in August but hasn’t played since her first-round exit at the U.S. Open.
