Quebec’s Leylah Fernandez lost in two sets of 6-3 and 6-4 to Russian Daria Kasatkina in the grand final of the Eastbourne tournament in England on Saturday.
Seeded sixth, the Russian thus obtained her first title this year after losing three finals in Adelaide, Charleston and Abu Dhabi.
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Brilliant throughout the week, Fernandez put up a good fight against Kasatkina, even taking a 4-3 lead in the second set. However, the Russian won a very long point afterwards that turned the tide for good, while the Quebecer seemed to take a physical hit, starting to make tactical errors that helped give her rival the victory.
Kasatkina had five break points in ten chances compared to two in seven for Fernandez. The Quebecer hit more winners than her opponent (35 to 18), but also made many more errors (39 to 19).
Kasatkina’s consistency and footwork ultimately made the difference in this very tough match.
At Wimbledon, Kasatkina, who will be seeded No.14, will face the Chinese Shuai Zhang (677) in the first round.e world) while Fernandez (N. 3) will be opposed to the Italian Lucia Bronzetti (64e at the WTA).
– With AFP
