Canadian Open 2025: Fernandez criticises schedule after first-round loss in Montreal, two days after winning Washington title
Fernandez was routed 6-4, 6-1 by Australian Maya Joint in just 1 hour, 15 minutes. The No. 24-ranked player won her fourth career WTA title on Sunday in Washington and was hoping for additional rest before returning to the court in Montreal.
Fernandez said she received 'a lot of promises' that she would play during Tuesday's night session, giving her more time to recover between the two tournaments, but learned on Sunday while travelling that wouldn't be the case.
'I did not receive that,' she said. 'That hurt me because I was very looking forward to be playing at night, but I guess it's a little bit political issues at that point.'
Instead, top-seeded Coco Gauff played fellow American Danielle Collins to open the night session, overcoming 23 double-faults to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2) for her first victory since the French Open final.
READ | Gauff battles into third round in Montreal, Ito shocks Paolini
Valerie Tetreault, the tournament director in Montreal, said she promised Fernandez she would 'fight so that she could have the time she wanted.'
'But I didn't win my fight,' Tetreault said, noting that the WTA Tour determines scheduling. 'I received the request for her to play in the evening. It's my role to have conversations with the WTA, so I pushed as much as possible for her to have what she wanted.'
Tetreault added that exceptions had already been made for Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up. The 22-year-old and Joint were among the final three first-round matches held until Tuesday, despite her half of the bracket starting play on Sunday.
'WTA protocols mean first-round matches need to be completed before second-round matches are played, ensuring fairness to all players,' Tennis Canada said in a statement. 'Given Leylah won the title in Washington on Sunday, she was not able to arrive in Montreal until the early hours of Monday morning. As a result, the WTA made the decision to play her opening match in the latest possible first-round slot.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
34 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Canadian Open 2025: Ben Shelton beats Taylor Fritz to secure spot in final
Fourth-seeded Ben Shelton beat second-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American Canadian Open 2025 semifinal match on Wednesday night. Shelton will face 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia, a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) winner over top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany in the first semifinal in the Masters 1000 hard-court event. 'I've seen so many big improvements in my game this week, that's what I'm most happy about, how I'm executing, how little I'm hesitating, how I'm returning,' Shelton said. ALSO READ | Cincinnati Open 2025: Refreshed Jannik Sinner ready for title defence 'There are a lot of things to be proud about and beating two top-10 guys back-to-back is huge for me,' he added. The 22-year-old Shelton is seeking his third career ATP Tour title. He won in Tokyo on hard courts in 2023 and in Houston last year on clay. 'I'm just really excited to see myself executing like this, not wondering if the shot is going to go in or out, but expecting it to go in,' Shelton said. The 26-year-old Fritz has 10 career victories, winning this year on grass at Stuttgart and Eastbourne.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Canadian Open 2025: Osaka beats Tauson to set up summit clash against Mboko
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka fought past Clara Tauson to reach the Canadian Open 2025 final on Wednesday. In the summit clash, she will take on Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who saved a match point in a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the other semifinal. Japan's Osaka, chasing her first tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, saved a pair of set points in the second-set tiebreak to polish off a 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) victory over Denmark's Tauson, who was coming off victories over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys. Osaka has looked re-energised this week after a coaching shakeup, and rolled through the first set against Tauson. But Tauson twice regained a break in the second set as she pushed it to the tiebreaker, where she had chances to level the match after taking a 6-4 lead. ALSO READ | Cincinnati Open 2025: Refreshed Jannik Sinner ready for title defence Unable to convert her set points, the Dane saved one match point to make it 7-7, but Osaka won the next two to seal the victory and reach her first final in a WTA 1000 level event since Miami in 2022. 'Definitely really happy. (I'm) excited to play my first hard court final back,' said Osaka, who started the week ranked 49th in the world. Osaka, whose performance so far this week means she's assured of rising high enough in the rankings to be seeded at the US Open later this month, was bracing for a tough match against a player who said in a youthful interview that she idolised the Japanese star. 'I watched her play today because they were the match in front of us. I thought it was really impressive how she stayed calm,' said Osaka, adding that Mboko's rebound from match point down was 'really impressive for an 18-year-old.'
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Ben Shelton Defeats Taylor Fritz In An All-American Semifinal In Toronto
Fourth-seeded Ben Shelton beat second-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American semifinal match Wednesday night in the National Bank Open Open. Shelton will face 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia, a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) winner over top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany in the first semifinal in Masters 1000 hard-court event. 'I've seen so many big improvements in my game this week, that's what I'm most happy about, how I'm executing, how little I'm hesitating, how I'm returning,' Shelton said. 'There are a lot of things to be proud about and beating two top-10 guys back-to-back is huge for me.' The 22-year-old Shelton is seeking his third career ATP Tour title. He won in Tokyo on hard courts in 2023 and Houston last year on clay. 'I'm just really excited to see myself executing like this, not wondering if the shot is going to go in or out, but expecting it to go in," Shelton said. The 26-year-old Fritz has 10 career victories, winning this year on grass at Stuttgart and Eastbourne. Khachanov, a seven-time tour winner, survived a match point. 'Today was a real close one,' Khachanov said 'I was match-point down. If the ball touches the net and drops over we wouldn't be talking now.' Zverev, the 2017 champion with 24 tour titles, is No. 3 in the world. 'The first set was terrible,' Zverev said. 'I kind of gave him a headstart and he's too good to not use that.' Zverev was the top seed with top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the 2023 winner — and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the expanded event.
