TORONTO -- Leylah Fernandez knew the stakes before she stepped onto centre court. The 23-year-old Canadian had just shared a word with her father -- and co-coach -- ahead of the tennis star’s first match at the National Bank Open. Despite having yet to swing a racket in anger at the home-soil event after getting an opening-round by as the No. 30 seed, Fernandez was already the country’s last hope in both the women’s and men’s singles draws. The Laval, Que., product carried that torch in impressive fashion. Fernandez fired three aces and connected on five of six break-point opportunities Wednesday to breeze past Mexico’s Renata Zarazua 6-2, 6-2 in front of a partisan crowd at Sobeys Stadium. “A little bit nerve-racking,” she said. “But happy I was able to manage those nerves and enjoy the moment.” The pressure was also squarely on Fernandez’s shoulders. Kayla Cross of London, Ont., had been bounced by Ann Li of the United States 7-6 (2), 6-3 earlier in the day. Toronto’s Katherine Sebov lost in the second round Tuesday and 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., was eliminated Monday in her first match as the red-and-white women’s contingent melted from eight to one in short order. Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., who captured last summer’s NBO title at age 18, is sitting out this year’s event because of a knee issue. The Canadian men, meanwhile, have been cut down by injuries of their own in Montreal. Denis Shapovalov and Gabe Diallo retired from their matches Tuesday before No. 2 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew with a back problem Wednesday. “I knew that I was the last Canadian standing,” Fernandez said between bites of ice cream during her press conference. “I guess that lit a little fire in me. We have a lot young Canadian tennis players who are doing extremely well. And I want to be able to motivate them to keep going and to keep believing.” The runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Open and currently ranked No. 34 on the WTA Tour, Fernandez secured three break points in the first set, including with Zarazua, the world No. 73, on serve at 5-2. Fernandez, whose best NBO showing was a 2023 round-of-16 appearance in Montreal, went up 3-2 with a break in the second before cruising to victory in one hour 23 minutes. Fernandez, who lost her first-round match last year and earned a career-high rank of No. 13 in August 2022, improved to 3-0 against Zarazua all-time and will next face No. 5 Mirra Andreeva. Rising star Alexandra Eala of the Philippines then defeated Alycia Parks of the U.S. 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 before an electric centre-court crowd accented by a strong showing from her country’s diaspora in the Toronto area. The 21-year-old will face Caty McNally in the third round after the American provided the day’s biggest upset by defeating No. 6 Linda Noskova. Cross, also 21, fell 7-6 (2), 6-3 to Ann Li of the U.S. after she shocked the US$7.4-million tournament Monday by upsetting Britain’s Katie Boulter to earn a first tour victory in just her third match. Seeded players advancing included Andreeva, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 11 Naomi Osaka, No. 12 Belinda Bencic, No. 13 Iva Jovic, No. 20 Elise Mertens and No. 29 Maria Sakkari. Apart from McNally’s surprise performance against Noskova, Maya Joint topped No. 14 Sorana Cirstea, Alina Korneeva downed No. 23 Emma Navarro, Taylor Townsend beat No. 21 Marie Bouzkova, and Liudmila Samsonova got past No. 22 Barbora Krejcikova. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka won her second-round opener Tuesday night in the four-time Grand Slam winner’s return to action after disappointing results at the French Open and Wimbledon. Late matches early in the tournament are often sparsely attended. Eala’s was different. Filipino flags dotted the stands and at least one fan sported an inflatable dinosaur suit, while the chair umpire had to ask the crowd for quiet at different moments in what was a party atmosphere at the venue on Toronto’s northern border. “Amazing,” Eala said. “Such a memorable match. My first time here in Toronto … it was definitely a challenge for me to get through today, and I’m really happy with how I handled things.” Seeded 25th and ranked 20th, she became the first Filipino to pick up a WTA win when she bested Pegula in Monday’s rain-delayed D.C. Open final. Fernandez, who has Filipino heritage on her mother’s side, has got to know Eala and watched her rise. “The Filipino community are super proud,” she said of the support. “They’re proud of anybody who comes from the country … I definitely felt that when I came onto the scene.” Eala certainly got similar vibes Wednesday night. “I saw so many Filipino flags,” she said. “It gave me so much joy.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026 Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
