Fernandez ends 7-match Top-10 skid, beats Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 at Canadian Open
Synopsis
Leylah Fernandez had lost seven straight matches against Top-10 opponents — then dismantled Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva in just 81 minutes. The 6-1, 6-4 scoreline was clinical, built on patience and just seven unforced errors. Now Naomi Osaka stands between Fernandez and a deep run at her home Open.
Key Takeaways
Leylah Fernandez defeated Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour 21 minutes in the Canadian Open third round on 8 August in Montreal .
The win ended Fernandez's streak of seven consecutive losses against Top-10 opponents.
Andreeva committed 34 unforced errors — double her 17 winners ; Fernandez had just 7 unforced errors .
Fernandez's last Top-10 win came against Jessica Pegula (then-World No.
4) at the Mubadala DC Open last year.
Fernandez next faces 11th seed Naomi Osaka , who beat Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2 , in the Round of 16.
Leylah Fernandez snapped a run of seven consecutive defeats against Top-10 opponents on 8 August at the Canadian Open in Montreal, routing fifth seed and Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour and 21 minutes to reach the Round of 16. The result equals the 2021 US Open finalist's best-ever showing at her home country's marquee WTA event.
How Fernandez Dismantled Andreeva
The 30th-ranked Canadian was clinical throughout, finishing with just seven unforced errors against eight winners — a tidy, disciplined performance that exposed an unusually erratic Andreeva. The Russian 20-year-old committed 19 unforced errors in the first set alone and ended the match with 34 — exactly double her 17 winners.
Andreeva showed brief resistance at 5-1 in the second set, holding from 0-30 to make it 5-4. But a forehand miss at 0-15 on Fernandez's serve proved the turning point, and the Canadian closed out the match three points later.
Fernandez's Winning Mindset
'The key for me was to stay positive, stay strong, and to keep being patient. I mean, she wasn't going to give away some easy balls,' Fernandez said after the match. 'In the beginning there were a lot of long rallies, and that was a key for me to kind of stick with it, trusting in my abilities, and to continue playing my game throughout the match.'
She elaborated on the mental discipline that underpinned the victory: 'There have been times where I just want to finish the point quickly, and in that moment I was like, no, trust in my abilities, trust in my fitness. I've put in the work. I know physically I'm strong. I know I can endure long rallies, long matches. So if it's going to take a hundred balls to hit to break her down, then so be it.'
Significance of the Win
The victory marks Fernandez's first Top-10 scalp in over a year. Her previous win against a player ranked that highly came against then-World No. 4 Jessica Pegula en route to the Mubadala DC Open title last year. It also matches her 2023 Montreal run, making the Round of 16 in Canada for the second time at two different host cities of the alternating event.
What's Next: Osaka Awaits
Fernandez will next face Naomi Osaka, the 11th seed and 2025 National Bank Open finalist, who defeated 20th seed Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-1, 6-2 on Friday. The two players have split their two prior WTA meetings, with Osaka winning the most recent encounter in 2025.
Osaka acknowledged that Fernandez's left-handedness poses a particular challenge, singling out her serve as a key weapon — drawing a comparison to former World No. 1 Petra Kvitova. She also praised Fernandez's composure during the match. The Round of 16 clash sets up one of the more compelling matchups of the tournament's latter stages.
Point of View
Which is precisely the kind of grinding pressure Fernandez built her game around. The Osaka matchup is the real test: two former major finalists, two contrasting styles, and a left-handed serve that Osaka herself admits troubles her. If Fernandez can replicate this level of discipline, a deep run in Montreal is not a stretch.
NationPress
8 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Fernandez vs Andreeva at the Canadian Open?
Leylah Fernandez defeated fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour and 21 minutes in the third round of the Canadian Open in Montreal on 8 August. The win ended Fernandez's seven-match losing streak against Top-10 opponents.
Why is this win significant for Leylah Fernandez?
It was Fernandez's first Top-10 victory in over a year, and it matches her best-ever result at the Canadian Open. Her previous win against a Top-10 player came against then-World No. 4 Jessica Pegula at the Mubadala DC Open last year.
Who does Fernandez play next at the Canadian Open?
Fernandez faces 11th seed Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16. Osaka defeated Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2 to advance, and she and Fernandez have split their two previous WTA meetings, with Osaka winning the most recent in 2025.
How did Andreeva perform in the match?
Andreeva had an unusually error-prone outing, committing 34 unforced errors against just 17 winners — double the errors to winners ratio. She made 19 of those errors in the first set alone, allowing Fernandez to dominate large stretches of the match.
What did Fernandez say about her winning strategy?
Fernandez credited patience and self-belief, saying she focused on staying positive and trusting her fitness to outlast long rallies. She said her approach was to 'put the ball back in' and apply consistent pressure rather than force winners early.
