Friday, November 22, 2024

Canada’s Fernandez, Andreescu through to quarterfinals at Toray Pan Pacific Open

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TOKYO – Canadians Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu have both moved on to the quarterfinals at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Fernandez advanced after downing Varvara Gracheva 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., fired three aces and converted 5-of-11 break points during the two-hour 15-minute match. Gracheva, of France, battled back in the second set, winning 72.2 per cent of her first-serve points, before Fernandez rallied in the third set.

Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns a shot to Anastasia Potapova, of Russia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Matt Rourke

Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., advanced after Beatriz Haddad Maia retired due to a back injury while trailing 3-0 in the first set. Haddad Maia, the No. 2 seed, appeared to be in pain from the second game onward and took a medical timeout before exiting the match.

In the quarterfinals, Fernandez takes on the winner of a matchup between the tournament’s top seed, Qinwen Zheng of China, and Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, while Andreescu faces either Katie Boulter or Kyoka Okamura.