Canada’s Leylah Fernandez upsets top seed Jessica Pegula in third round of Citi Open

Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns the ball against Jessica Pegula during a match at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

WASHINGTON — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarterfinals of the Citi Open hardcourt tennis tournament Thursday with a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 upset win over top-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States.

Fernandez had five aces to nine double faults and broke on three of her eight chances in the two-hour, 19-minute match.

The Laval, Que., native had five break-point opportunities in the final set, converting on two of them.

Pegula, meanwhile, had two aces to four double faults and broke on three of her seven opportunities.

Fernandez will next face American Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Earlier, Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo was ousted in the third round of men’s play with a 6-3, 6-2 loss to fourth seed Ben Shelton of the United States.

Shelton was nearly unbeatable on serve, firing 16 aces to Diallo’s five and winning a whopping 86 per cent of total service points.

The American did not face break point while breaking Diallo three times on four chances.

Diallo, seeded 15th in Washington, entered the tournament with a career-high world ranking of No. 35.

He will next play at the National Bank Open in Toronto, where he is seeded 30th and will have a first-round bye.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025

The Canadian Press