Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, serves the ball to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Canada’s Fernandez outlasts Sasnovich in three sets to reach Ningbo Open quarters

Oct 21, 2026 | 5:58 AM

NINGBO — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez battled past Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Ningbo Open.

The 24-year-old from Laval, Que., needed three hours to defeat the world’s 122nd-ranked player and improve her career record against Sasnovich to 2-2.

Fernandez, ranked 30th in the world, overcame 53 unforced errors and eight double faults to win her second straight three-set match. Sasnovich committed 73 unforced errors.

She converted eight of 15 break-point opportunities, compared with five of six for Sasnovich, and sealed the victory on her first match point.