ABU DHABI - Canada's Leylah Fernandez cruised into the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open tennis tournament with a convincing 6-0, 6-3 win over New Zealand's Lulu Sun on Wednesday.
Fernandez, seeded eighth at the tournament, won 70.8 per cent of her service points and saved all three break points she faced in a match that took one hour 12 minutes to complete.
Sun had seven aces but won just 47.1 per cent of service points and was broken four times on 12 chances.
Fernandez, ranked 27th on the WTA circuit, improved to 7-3 on the season as she advanced to her first quarterfinal of 2025.
The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., will next face world No. 51 Ashlyn Krueger, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 win over fellow American McCartney Kessler.
The two players split a pair of meetings last year, with Fernandez beating Krueger in the first round of the Eastbourne International before advancing to the final and the American returning the favour in the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.
