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CTV News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Fernandez criticizes schedule after losing in Montreal in quick return after Washington title
Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, plays a shot to Maya Joint, of Australia, during their first round match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes) Leylah Fernandez criticized the schedule at the National Bank Open after the Canadian lost in the first round of her home tournament Tuesday, two days after winning the title in Washington. 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 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 Sunday while travelling that wouldn't be the case. 'I did not receive that,' she said. 'That hurt me because I was looking forward to playing at night, but I guess it's a little bit [of a] political issue 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. Valerie Tetreault, the National Bank Open 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 U.S. 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.' Mirra Andreeva, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the third round when 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew after sustaining an ankle injury during her first-round victory. No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini was upset by Japan's Aoi Ito in a third-set tiebreaker, while No. 8 Emma Navarro rolled past Rebecca Marino 6-1, 6-2.
New York Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Coco Gauff overcomes serve struggles to beat Danielle Collins at Canadian Open
It's not often that the world No. 2 goes two months without winning a match, but that's the reality Coco Gauff was facing late Tuesday night in Montreal, on the cusp of a third consecutive loss, this time in her opening duel at the Canadian Open. Gauff somehow won the battle of fiercely competitive Floridians, beating Danielle Collins 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2). For Gauff, this win was a maddening relief on a night when she served 23 double faults, nearly a full set given away in just under three hours. It's the most served in a match on the WTA Tour since 2019, when Jelena Ostapenko hit 25 against Karolína Plíšková in a win at the China Open in Beijing. Gauff last won a match in the final of the French Open, where she showed off all of her strongest traits — her stamina, her steel, her wheels and her ability to stay in control and keep putting balls back into the court — to upset Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff was on top of the world. Instead of staying in Europe, as she often does after Roland Garros, she jetted home for a whirlwind few days of media appearances, then headed back to Europe for the grass-court season. She has not been the same since. She lost to Wang Xinyu in Berlin in straight sets. Then she lost to Dayana Yastremska in the first round of Wimbledon in straight sets as well. That was July 1. She spent the rest of the month resting and preparing for the North American hard-court swing that will culminate with the U.S. Open. Advertisement Judging from her win over Collins, Gauff has a lot more work to do, especially on her serve. It's tough to beat anyone on the WTA Tour serving that poorly. It's nearly impossible against Collins, a big hitter who knows how to take advantage of a tentative foe struggling with the one shot no one can hide from. Collins kept reeling in Gauff all night. Gauff was up 5-2 in the first set before Collins drew even, only to let Gauff edge her out down the stretch. Then Gauff broke Collins early in the second and third sets, only for Collins to storm back each time, using her power to rush Gauff into errors. Gauff was up 4-2 in the third set, within shouting distance of the finish line. Double fault. Forehand error. Backhand error. Backhand error. And Collins was back in business. Gauff was supposed to have begun putting her serve issues in the rearview mirror last year when she hired Matt Daly, a grip specialist, who tweaked the way she held the racket. The double faults went down for a few months, only to creep back into her game and come out at some seriously inopportune moments. Still, Gauff was able to stage an extraordinary clay season, making two finals and winning her second Grand Slam. But that was on clay, where she could find an extra split second to catch up with returns on the slow red dirt. Hard courts are a different story. She needs to serve effectively to win, like just about everyone else. Even with all the troubles, Gauff was 2 points from the win with Collins serving at 4-5 in the third set, but Collins came up with enough power to induce the misses from Gauff. Collins got what looked like the decisive break with plenty of help from Gauff, who started the next game with two double faults, then plunked in soft balls on the next 3 points to allow Collins to hammer returns through the court. Advertisement Gauff, who never stops competing, even when her serve tells her she probably should, evened the match a final time on her fourth break-point chance of the game, rolling a short backhand through the court. Then came the deciding tiebreak. Gauff was 10-2 in deciding tiebreaks. Collins was 3-6 and played like it, sending a short backhand long and double-faulting to give Gauff a 4-2 lead. And then, somehow, Gauff finished the business in the most surprising way. She hammered a serve to get to 6-2 and smacked an ace to end it. She let out a scream. 'Making serves in the court was the toughest challenge,' she said. 'Maybe if I had cut that in half, it could have been a quicker match.' Quicker and cleaner. A win is a win, though.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Canadian Open 2025: Fernandez criticises schedule after first-round loss in Montreal, two days after winning Washington title
Leylah Fernandez criticised the schedule at the Canadian Open after the local favourite lost in the first round on Tuesday, two days after winning the title in Washington. 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.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'So Proud' - Tennis Fans Celebrating Genie Bouchard's Big Career Win
'So Proud' - Tennis Fans Celebrating Genie Bouchard's Big Career Win originally appeared on The Spun. Former Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard isn't ready to retire just yet. Earlier this month, Bouchard announced that she'd retire after the National Bank Open in Montreal. It's the perfect sendoff for the 31-year-old Canadian, who was given a wild card for this year's tournament. Bouchard, who was once ranked as high as No. 5 in the world, faced Emiliana Arango in the first round of the National Bank Open. The home crowd wasn't sure what to expect, but Bouchard made her fans proud by defeating Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Though it sounds too crazy to be true, Monday's win over Arango marked Bouchard's first WTA Tour victory since 2023. "I woke up this morning just telling myself, look I can't control the result, I just want to have a good attitude, have good fight and try to feel good with my shots, feel good with my game," Bouchard said after the match. "No matter what happens, I wanted to walk off the court having enjoyed that gritty battle. I enjoyed every second of it." On Tuesday night, Bouchard shared photos from her first-round win along with the caption "last night was a dream." Most of her fans sent her words of encouragement. "So proud!! It was like in the good ol days," one fan tweeted at Bouchard. "Keep being awesome Genie," a second fan said. "Bravo Genie," a third fan commented. "Well played Genie! Maybe you can extend the final dance at little more," another fan wrote. Speaking of Bouchard's final dance, she said she'd consider playing a bit more tennis if she wins the National Bank Open. "I told my family that if I won the tournament, I would come out of retirement," Bouchard said. Things won't get any easier for Bouchard, who'll face No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic. Does Bouchard have a bit more magic left in her racket? We'll find out on Wednesday night.'So Proud' - Tennis Fans Celebrating Genie Bouchard's Big Career Win first appeared on The Spun on Jul 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canada's Fernandez rips tournament organizers after crashing out of NBO
MONTREAL — Leylah Fernandez has a bone to pick with tournament organizers. Not only did she exit the court crushed by her lacklustre performance before a hometown crowd — tears still running down her cheeks more than 90 minutes after the match — Fernandez also blamed unfavourable scheduling that set her up to fail. The top-ranked Canadian crashed out of the National Bank Open's first round with a lopsided 6-4, 6-1 loss to Australia's Maya Joint on Tuesday afternoon, two days after hoisting her fourth WTA crown at the D.C. Open. Fernandez said she received 'a lot of promises' that she would take the court during Tuesday's night session, giving her more time to rest between the two tournaments, but learned Sunday while travelling to Montreal from Washington 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.' Valérie Tétreault, the National Bank Open tournament director in Montreal, responded that she promised Fernandez she would 'fight so that she could have the time she wanted.' 'But I didn't win my fight,' Tétreault 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." Tétreault added that exceptions had already been made for Fernandez. The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., and Joint were among the final three first-round matches held until Tuesday, despite her half of the bracket starting play on Sunday. Fellow D.C. Open finalist Anna Kalinskaya of Russia was also scheduled to play no earlier than 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, but she won her match 7-6 (6), 0-6, 6-3 over Ann Li of the United States. 'Normally when we have matches that are delayed, when there is catch-up to do, we have to play them as early as possible during the day,' Tétreault said. 'We pushed her at least so that it wouldn't be the first match at 11 a.m. to give her a chance to recover.' Tennis Canada backed up Tétreault's words in a statement. 'WTA protocols mean first-round matches need to be completed before second-round matches are played, ensuring fairness to all players,' the statement read. '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.' Fernandez had previously detailed a whirlwind turnaround after her victory Sunday in Washington. The 2021 U.S. Open finalist arrived back home in Montreal at roughly 2 a.m. Monday and slept about three hours before attending an event for her foundation at IGA Stadium around 8 a.m. later that morning. The fatigue certainly showed on the court. 'It felt great being on court, hearing the fans and feeling their support. I was just disappointed with my level of play, and it wasn't fair for them,' the No. 24-ranked Fernandez said. 'It was a very, very low level.' Fernandez gave up six break points and won only 49 per cent of her points on first serve. The 19-year-old Joint, ranked 45th, won 62 of 109 points to win the match in 75 minutes. Fernandez fell down 2-0, double-faulting twice to drop her first service game. In a 5-2 hole, Fernandez saved a set point and battled back to make it 5-4, but failed to hold serve once again. Joint rolled to a 4-0 lead in the second and hardly looked back. The Canadian also took issue with the WTA's tone when it revealed the scheduling to her coach — and father — Jorge Fernandez. 'They asked him with a sarcastic tone if two or three hours would make a difference," she said. "Yes, it would make a great difference. Maybe I win the match, maybe I don't, but of course it helps the two to three hours where I could sleep a little more. 'Physical recovery, maybe a stretching session, a massage could help me. But it's just small things of 'What if,' but it didn't happen and that's it.' This year's National Bank Open — a WTA 1000-level tournament — debuted a revamped 12-day, 96-player format, with the top 32 seeds receiving byes to the second round. Tétreault said she foresaw potential problems arising from her tournament's main draw beginning the same day as the WTA 500 final in Washington. 'The calendar is supposed to be made so that the 1000-level tournaments are prioritized over a WTA 500," she said. "We'll have to go back to the drawing table." Fernandez was only one story on a less-than-ideal day for Canadians, as Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Vancouver's Rebecca Marino also exited the tournament. Andreescu withdrew with a left ankle injury, sustaining the ailment on match point of her first-round win Sunday night versus Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia. Marino, meanwhile, fell 6-1, 6-2 to eighth seed Emma Navarro of the United States in second-round action. The 25-year-old Andreescu said she tore ligaments in her ankle but wouldn't rule out a return to the court at the Cincinnati Open, which begins in just over a week. The former world No. 4 has repeatedly spent time off the court with back, shoulder, knee, ankle and foot injuries. 'I even screamed out like, 'Why does this keep happening to me?'' she said. 'At this point, it's laughable. It's just crazy. I'm trying to stay positive but it's getting really tough.' Toronto's Victoria Mboko and Eugenie Bouchard, who extended her career Monday night with a first-round win over Colombia's Emiliana Arango, were the only Canadians remaining in the women's singles bracket. Mboko took on No. 23 seed Sofia Kenin of the United States in the late match, after No. 1 seed Coco Gauff opened her tournament with a second-round meeting against fellow American Danielle Collins in Fernandez's desired slot. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025. Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
