Fernandez advances to semifinal at Ningbo Open

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez moved closer to her second WTA title of the season with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in quarterfinal action Friday at the Ningbo Open.

Fernandez evened her career record against Alexandrova at 3-3 after her second win over the Russian in as many weeks.

The 24-year-old from Laval, Que., was dominant after dropping the first set, scoring four breaks while surrendering none over the next two sets.

Fernandez said she sensed an opportunity to turn things around despite losing the opening set.

“I would say it’s the attitude, the fight, the enjoyment of the battle here. And the first set, she started off strong, but I knew I was close. I was close to breaking her. I was like figuring things out,” Fernandez said in an on-court interview. “I just continued with that self-belief and it definitely helped in the second and third set.”

Fernandez has won 12 of her last 15 matches and earned her sixth career WTA title last month in Singapore.

The Canadian, ranked 30th in the world, also earned her tour-leading 16th WTA 500 victory of the season, ahead of Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula with 14 apiece.

She will next face the 26th-ranked Marie Bouzkova of Czechia in the semifinals at the WTA 500 hardcourt tournament.

Bouzkova won their only previous meeting in the first round of the 2019 Rogers Cup (now National Bank Open) in Toronto.