(Eastbourne) Leylah Annie Fernandez reached the final four of the Eastbourne grass tournament on Thursday morning after crushing Briton Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-1.
Published at 9:01 a.m.
Updated at 2:49 p.m.
It was the second duel between the two players in their career on the WTA circuit, and it ended after barely 67 minutes on the British pitch. Dart defeated Fernandez in the first round of the National Bank Montreal Open in 2021.
Fernandez, the 30the world racket, will face in the semi-finals of this preparatory tournament for Wimbledon the American Madison Keys, fourth seed in the tournament, who benefited from the withdrawal of the Czech Karolina Muchova due to a right wrist injury .
Heading into the Wimbledon tournament, which begins next Monday, Fernandez said she had started to find her bearings on the pitch.
“I’m not the most powerful or the most dominant on this playing surface,” admitted Fernandez, “but I know that if I have the right footwork, and I anchor myself solidly on my legs, then I will be able to land the shots I want. For me, therefore, the key is footwork and my legs. »
PHOTO GLYN KIRK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Harriet Dart
The other semi-final will pit French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini against Russian Daria Kasatkina.
Paolini eliminated Katie Boulter 6-1, 7-6 (0) to advance to the semi-finals of a grass-court tournament for the first time in her career, while Kasatkina defeated Britain’s Emma Raducanu 6-2, 6-2.
Fernandez recorded her best career Grand Slam result at the 2021 U.S. Open, losing to Raducanu in the final.
Kasatkina, who was runner-up to Keys last year, said the weather conditions were so difficult that she simply tried to keep the ball in play.
“The conditions are tough. It’s super windy. It’s very difficult to do great things in those conditions,” said the Russian. “She (Paolini) is having a great season. She’s playing good tennis, she’s on fire. But I’m doing pretty well, too. It’s going to be a good match tomorrow (Friday).”
The Quebecer, who is aiming for a first title in 2024 and a fourth in her career as a professional, dominated her opponent on serve – winning 80.8% of the points with her first serve. She also recorded two aces, compared to just one for Dart, 105e player in the world.
The 21-year-old from Laval was also more opportunistic than her rival, having converted five of her seven break points. Dart, in comparison, delighted the representative of the maple leaf on her only occasion of the match.
On the other hand, Ontario’s Marina Stakusic secured her ticket to the main draw of Wimbledon by defeating Briton Amarni Banks 6-3, 6-0 in the third and final round of qualifying.
Stakusic, 164e world player, will therefore participate in her first career Grand Slam tournament, after beating the French Carole Monnet and Chloé Paquet in the two previous rounds.
The draw for the men’s and women’s draws will take place on Friday morning at the All England Club. The Wimbledon tournament will begin on Monday, 1is July.
