Stearns eliminates Fernandez and advances to the China Open

Leylah Annie Fernandez suffered an early exit from the China Open, losing 7-5, 6-2 to American Peyton Stearns on Friday.

The hard-hitting American beat Fernandez five times and won 65% of her first serve points in a decisive 1 hour 48 minute victory to book her place in the round of 32.

In her first match since the US Open, the 22-year-old Canadian struggled with serve consistency and Stearns capitalized by remaining aggressive on returns.

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The 22-year-old Ohio native got her first lead on the scoreboard by scoring a sweeping volley winner on her third breakball chance to take an early 2-1 lead in the opening set. The 20th^Th The seeded left-hander got back into the swing of things from a 2-4 deficit and won three games in a row as she recovered the break to take a 5-4 lead.

However, the world number 46 quickly made up the deficit, breaking Fernandez for a second time in the 11th round^Th game of the set before her serve ended the game in 56 minutes.

After a similar scenario to the first set, Stearns applied the pressure again and managed to break serve in the third game of the second set as Fernandez was hurt by costly double faults. A backhand error into the net gave the American a second break of serve and a 4-1 lead, and although the Canadian was able to pull a game back on the return, she was unable to make a comeback.

Although the former 2021 US Open finalist saved five break point chances in the seventh game, she eventually lost value and Stearns fired a forehand winner in her sixth chance to take a 5-2 lead. She would finish the game on serve to secure her ticket to the next round in Beijing.

With the victory, the American now leads the duel 2-1 and also secured a victory at the Rabat Grand Prix in Morocco last season.

The loss drops Fernandez to 22-20 on the season – last week the Canadian was selected to represent Canada again at the Billie Jean King Cup Final in November.