There was some good news for Leylah Fernandez in the last few days. The native of Montreal ended her year-plus title drought by beating Anna Kalinskaya in Washington on Sunday.<\/p>\n
It was a sizeable prize, too, since Washington is a 500-level tournament.<\/p>\n
The bad news for Fernandez was the quick turnaround to compete in her hometown WTA 1000 event and the left-hander duly lost to Maya Joint at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, 6-4, 6-1.<\/p>\n
The normally sprightly 22-year-old exited in one hour, 16 minutes on Tuesday in yet more steamy conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy level of play does not translate well (with) what I was actually feeling because I was feeling so happy, and it was such an honor to be back in Montreal and to play in front of the home crowd, to play in my hometown where everything started,\u201d a deflated Fernandez told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way that I played today does not equate of what I felt pre-match and what it means to play Montreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
While almost all of Tuesday\u2019s schedule was filled with second-round contests, Fernandez\u2019s deep stay in the US capital pushed back her opener in Montreal.<\/p>\n
She hoped to play in the night session but competed in a day session that was tough for Canadians. Not only did Fernandez exit, but Bianca Andreescu withdrew against fourth-seed Mirra Andreeva due to the ankle injury she suffered on Sunday night and wildcard Rebecca Marino lost to Emma Navarro.<\/p>\n
Fernandez began Washington by dispatching Joint in straight sets, cleaning up behind her first serve and winning 72 percent of the teen\u2019s second-serve points.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Joint was the one who capitalized on Fernandez\u2019s second serves, tallying 75 percent of those points.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess my level of play today could equate to the fatigue, the quick turnaround, I guess the added pressure that I put on myself,\u201d said Fernandez.<\/p>\n
Joint, though, isn\u2019t an easy out. This time last year, she was ranked outside the Top 150. Two titles in 2025 later, the Detroit-born Australian is inside the Top 50.<\/p>\n
Andreescu didn\u2019t get the chance to back up her win against her fellow Grand Slam winner, Barbora Krejcikova.<\/p>\n
The 2019 US Open champ from Mississauga, Ont., left the site on crutches Sunday after injuring her left ankle while hitting a forehand on match point. Yes, she has been unlucky with those multitude of injuries.<\/p>\n
Speaking with reporters after her withdrawal, Andreescu said she tore ligaments, which wouldn\u2019t have been a first.<\/p>\n