Canada’s Leylah Fernandez prepares to hit a return during her doubles match with her sister Bianca Fernandez against Belgium’s Elise Mertens and Diana Shnaider during the 2026 National Bank Open in Toronto.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., is through to the second round of the Japan Open.
Fernandez, ranked 23rd in the world, defeated Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday. Fernandez needed just over 90 minutes to beat the world’s 114th-ranked player. The 24-year-old converted three of nine break-point opportunities.
Fernandez is coming off a runner-up finish at the Ningbo Open last weekend.
She’ll next face fifth-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium, whom she beat last week in Ningbo.
Fernandez also withdrew from the doubles competition Tuesday because of a left-arm issue, according to the official WTA draw.
Fernandez and Spain’s Cristina Bucsa were scheduled to face top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa and Luisa Stefani of Brazil, who advanced to the quarter-finals by walkover.
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