A down season is showing signs of life for Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. The timing couldn’t be better for National Bank Open organizers who were nearly left without a domestic storyline at the tournament’s midway point. Fernandez booked a spot in the Round of 16 at the WTA Tour event Friday with a 6-1, 6-4 upset win over fifth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva. The third-round victory was her first win over a top-10 opponent this season. She has split four career meetings with Andreeva, who has won three WTA titles this year. Fernandez, who reached the U.S. Open final in 2021, is the lone Canadian left in the field — singles or doubles — at the WTA 1000-level hardcourt tournament. “Hearing that I’m the lone Canadian (left), of course there’s a little bit of pressure,” Fernandez said. “But also a lot more motivation and reasons to keep going on the path that I am on.” Fernandez, the No. 30 seed, was in control for most of the match on a muggy, overcast afternoon at Sobeys Stadium. Andreeva struggled with unforced errors and couldn’t establish a rhythm against the crowd favourite from Laval, Que., who improved to 15-20 on the season. Down 2-5 in the second set, Andreeva picked up her first break and then held serve to put some pressure on, but Fernandez would serve it out for the win in 80 minutes. “She’s a fighter,” Fernandez said. “She’s top 10 for a reason, top five for a reason. She’s won a Grand Slam for a reason. So she wasn’t going to just hand over the match to me.” Earlier in the day, second-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan secured a spot in the Round of 16 with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over American Ann Li at Sobeys Stadium. Rybakina headlines the bottom half of the 96-player draw at the WTA Tour event. She saved two set points en route to the 90-minute victory. In the late-morning singles match, Russia’s Alina Korneeva upset 13th-seeded American Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-4. Fernandez, who improved to 1-4 against top-10 players, will face either Belgium’s Elise Mertens or Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. The tournament was dealt a blow before it started when Canada’s Victoria Mboko confirmed she wouldn’t be able to defend her title due to a knee injury. Five Canadian wild-card singles entries fell in the first round and two others — Toronto’s Katherine Sebov and Kayla Cross of London, Ont. — lost in the second. All five Canadians in doubles made quick exits. Cross and Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., dropped a 6-4, 7-6 (3) decision to American Quinn Gleason and Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri on Friday afternoon. A day earlier, Fernandez and her sister Bianca Fernandez lost their opening match. Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski — the world No. 3 — lost with Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova who was a late substitute for the injured Luisa Stefani of Brazil. With a vocal contingent of fans cheering Fernandez on for the mid-afternoon start, the Canadian broke Andreeva in the fourth game when she sailed a return long. Andreeva had few answers for the Canadian’s pressure and pace. Fernandez was aggressive and capitalized on her opportunities. She also seemed to become energized as the match continued while the 19-year-old Andreeva, four years younger than the Canadian, appeared frustrated at her inconsistency. “I’ve just got to keep working hard and keep having that mentality of fighting,” Fernandez said. Fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff was scheduled to play 29th-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece in Friday night’s showcase matchup. The late match was set to feature rising Filipino star Alexandra Eala, the No. 25 seed, and American Caty McNally. Play continues until Thursday at the US$7.43-million tournament. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2026. Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
