“It’s truly inspiring,” Leylah Fernandez had kind words for Elena Rybakina after beating her in the second round of the Cincinnati Open

Leylah Fernandez also revealed her present on-court goal after beating Elena Rybakina in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.

“It’s truly inspiring,” Leylah Fernandez had kind words for Elena Rybakina after beating her in the second round of the Cincinnati Open

Elena Rybakina and Leylah Fernandez (Image via Imago)

Leylah Fernandez ended No.4 seed Elena Rybakina‘s return to Tour in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. It was the Canadian’s fifth Top 5 win of her career and first since the 2021 US Open. However, after the victory, Fernandez had kind words for the struggling Rybakina.

Rybakina had withdrawn from the Paris Olympics due to acute bronchitis and skipped the Canadian Open. Before Cincinnati, her last match was the semifinals of Wimbledon, where she lost to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. The Kazakhstani ace showed signs of rust from the start of the match in the form of 26 double faults.

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Fernandez struggled to find consistency in the beginning of the match, leaving Rybakina to win the first set in style 6-3. The former US Open runners-up picked up the challenge in the second set; with careful match management, she saved two match points to win 7-6(3). She rounded up the win in the deciding set triumphing 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

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After the victory, Fernandez hailed Rybakina as one of the most inspiring and great female players on Tour.

Elena is such a great player. Such a tremendous talent. The way she’s able to time everything and hit the ball so quick, so fast, and so heavy too.. it’s truly inspiring. I just tried to be patient as much as possible. Trying to put one more ball back in any which way.
Leylah Fernandez said to Prakash Amritraj on Tennis Channel

Hopefully, Rybakina will bounce back in the US Open after an early Cincinnati Open exit. She has skipped several tournaments this year but has found a way to pull through, claiming three titles already this season.

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Leylah Fernandez revealed her present on-court goal after beating Elena Rybakina

Leylah Fernandez has revealed that she just wants to enjoy getting better in her game after beating Elena Rybakina in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. The Canadian has found her form on the court this season and returned to the Top 30 in June after an absence for over a year.

Leylah Fernandez
Leylah Fernandez (Via Imago)

She reached the final of Eastbourne International but lost the title to Daria Kasatkina. With growing consistency in her game, she admitted she hopes to enjoy the losses and wins.

Honestly I don’t really care about stats. I just try to enjoy my time on court and get better every day. It’s not an easy road. It’s not an easy profession. It’s not easy boring a professional. I try to enjoy the losses also with the wins. You guys made it enjoyable and fun for me.
Leylah Fernandez said via Cincinnati Press.

Fernandez will play Diana Shnaider in the third round. It will be the first meeting between the duo. Shnaider is in great form at the moment and claimed the Paris Olympic silver medal in doubles.

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