(Guadalajara) Leylah Fernandez saw her best run at a WTA 1000 tournament come to an end on Thursday, when she lost 6-4, 6-7 (8) to American Sofia Kenin in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Quebecer had 15 aces compared to six for Kenin and she committed eight double faults compared to 14 for the American.
Kenin was much better at taking advantage of her opportunities, however, breaking her opponent six times in seven attempts. Fernandez had eight break chances, but she only converted three of them.
This was Fernandez’s first quarterfinal appearance at a WTA 1000 event, although she has previously reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament, at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
Fernandez can still reach the final four in women’s doubles.
She and her partner, American Taylor Townsend, are scheduled to face Italian Jasmine Paolini and Egyptian Mayer Sherif later Thursday. The winning duo will face the pair composed of the Canadian Gabriele Dabrowski and the New Zealander Erin Routliffe.
Dabrowski and Routliffe continued their success with a 7-5, 0-6, 10-7 victory over Estonian Ingrid Neel and Norwegian Ulrikke Eikeri.
Dabrowski and Routliffe, seeded third in Guadalajara after winning the women’s doubles at the U.S. Open, did not save any of the four break points they faced.
However, they served confidently in the third set, winning 85.7% of their points on first serve.
If second seeds Fernandez and Townsend advance to the semifinals, it would be the second major matchup between Ferndandez and Dabrowski in September.
Dabrowski and Routliffe got the better of Fernandez and Townsend 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) in the women’s doubles quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.
