Tennis
Leylah Fernandez Reaches Ningbo Quarterfinals After Three-Hour Win
The Canadian beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich in three sets and next faces Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Leylah Fernandez reached the Ningbo Open quarterfinals Wednesday with a 7–5, 6–7 (3), 6–3 victory over qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The Canadian needed three hours and three minutes to complete the second-round win, the WTA reported.
Fernandez recovered from 5–3 down in the opening set before Sasnovich forced a decider. The result sends Fernandez to her fifth tour quarterfinal of 2026 and her first in Ningbo. She now leads their overall head-to-head 3–2 and has won all three of their hard-court meetings.
Next is Ekaterina Alexandrova, who advanced when third-seeded Marta Kostyuk retired after losing their opening set 6–4. Alexandrova was the runner-up in Ningbo last year and leads Fernandez 3–2 in their meetings.
Their recent matches suggest another substantial test: the last three have gone to a deciding set. Fernandez has already spent five hours and 52 minutes on court at this tournament, compared with Alexandrova’s one hour and 53 minutes, according to the WTA. The tournament totals leave Fernandez with nearly four more hours of match play before the quarterfinal.
