Leylah Fernandez Advances at National Bank Open

By Liam Tremblay — 6 August 2026 — 3 min read

Leylah Fernandez secured a victory for Canada on Wednesday night at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto. Her win was followed by a strong performance from Alexandra Eala, delighting the crowd.

Fernandez, seeded 30th, defeated Renata Zarazua of Mexico with a score of 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court during a second-round match. This win positioned Fernandez as the sole Canadian player remaining in the singles draws for both the women’s and men’s tournaments.

Following Fernandez’s match, Eala, the 20th-seeded player from the Philippines, triumphed over Alycia Parks of the U.S. in a three-set match, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. The session for Eala’s match sold out quickly after the schedule was announced, drawing a large crowd.

Canadian Representation and Challenges

Fernandez, whose mother is Filipino-Canadian, was the last Canadian participant in either the women’s or men’s singles draws even before her first match. As a seeded player, she received a bye in the opening round. Fernandez mentioned that her father spoke to her before she entered the court, and she felt a motivation to perform well and inspire other young Canadian tennis players.

The tournament has seen several Canadian players withdraw or be eliminated. On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the National Bank Open in Montreal due to a back injury. Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo also retired from their matches earlier in the week due to injuries.

For the women, defending champion Victoria Mboko is not participating due to a knee injury that also kept her out of Wimbledon and will prevent her from competing in the upcoming US Open. Other Canadian players, including Kayla Cross, Katherine Sebov, and 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu, were eliminated from the main draws.

Despite a challenging year, Fernandez, ranked 34th in the world, showed strong form against Zarazua, who is ranked 73rd. Fernandez secured a 17-5 advantage in winners and converted five of six break points. After her victory, she recorded the celebratory scene with her phone.

Fernandez has been working with Eric Hechtman, a former coach for Venus and Serena Williams, prior to the North American swing. This marks a change from her previous coaching arrangement, where her father, Jorge, was her primary coach for most of her career.

Upcoming Matches and Notable Performances

Fernandez is set to play against Mirra Andreeva, the No. 5 seed, in her next match. Andreeva, from Russia, previously defeated Fernandez in straight sets at a clay-court event in Madrid. Andreeva anticipates a tough match against Fernandez, especially with the home crowd support.

Eala recently became the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour event. She expressed feeling at home with the support from the crowd during her match. Eala is scheduled to return to Centre Court on Thursday night to compete in doubles with Venus Williams.

Other seeded players who advanced on Wednesday include No. 2 Elena Rybakina and No. 3 Jessica Pegula, both winning their matches in three sets. However, No. 6 seed Linda Noskova, playing for the first time since winning Wimbledon last month, was defeated by Caty McNally of the U.S. with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Among other notable results, Alina Korneeva defeated No. 23 Emma Navarro, Taylor Townsend advanced past No. 21 Marie Bouzkova, and Liudmila Samsonova beat No. 22 Barbora Krejcikova. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka won her second-round opener on Tuesday night.

Fernandez’s win improved her career record against Zarazua to 3-0. She will face Andreeva in the third round.

Source: sportsnet.ca