Leylah Annie Fernandez picked up the place she left off for the nationwide workforce after her stellar efficiency on the Billie Jean King Cup in November, main Canada to victory over Chile of their first-ever tie on the United Cup.
The three-time Billie Jean King Cup Coronary heart Award winner opened the tie with a routine victory over Daniela Seguel earlier than sealing the victory for Canada within the blended doubles alongside Steven Diez. Diez, filling in for Felix Auger-Aliassime, misplaced the lads’s singles match to world No. 19 Nicolas Jarry in two tight units.
Regardless of Seguel placing 84 per cent of her first serves in play, Fernandez feasted on return, successful 56 per cent of her opponent’s service factors and breaking serve 5 occasions within the 6-2, 6-3 win.
Fernandez put strain on her Chilean opponent proper from the beginning, breaking the primary two occasions Seguel stepped as much as the road, though the Canadian did herself get damaged as soon as between these twos breaks. However she backed up the second with a maintain to like and completed off the set with a 3rd break.
Seguel flipped the script to start out the second set, breaking within the opening sport and taking a 2-0 earlier than Fernandez reclaimed the initiative. The Canadian bought again on serve by ripping a backhand winner to interrupt for 2-2 as she gained six of the final seven video games to attain the primary level for Canada.
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The decisive second got here at 4-3 when on break level Fernandez ripped a backhand return crosscourt and adopted it into the web, placing away an attractive low volley winner to set herself as much as serve out the match.
Diez Presses however Can’t End
Steven Diez confronted a tall job so as to shut out the tie for Canada as he took on a participant ranked almost 300 spots forward of him within the type of Nicolas Jarry.
The Canadian carried out admirably rather than Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was coping with a knee harm, however cracked late in each units to drop a 7-5, 6-4 choice.
All through each units, Diez, who’s aware of success at these workforce competitions in Australia early within the season having been a member of Canada’s 2022 ATP Cup-winning squad, did a formidable job of hanging with Jarry. Nevertheless, he didn’t make any inroads on the Chilean’s serve, by no means holding a break level within the match.
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Regardless of going toe-to-toe with the world No. 19 for the higher a part of one hour, 52-minute affair, he was damaged as he served to remain within the set at 5-6 within the first after which once more making an attempt to remain within the match at 4-5 within the second to ship the tie to a decisive doubles match.
Achieved Deal in Doubles
Fernandez and Diez returned to the court docket for the blended doubles, whereas Seguel teamed up with Tomas Barrios Vera. The decider was a nailbiter with each units and the match tiebreak coming all the way down to the wire, however the Canadians have been in a position to end the job to win the doubles 7-5, 4-6, [10-8] and take the tie 2-1.
It appeared as if the Canadian workforce have been in retailer for a straightforward victory once they raced out to a double-break 4-0 lead, just for the Chilean’s to avoid wasting 4 set factors and claw again to degree the primary set at 5-5.
However serving at 5-6 as she confronted set factors, Seguel bought a little bit of déjà -vu when Fernandez used her robust return to steal the set, firing a backhand return winner down the road to seal it for Canada.
The Chileans held on in a break-point-filled second set, breaking twice to drive the match to a deciding tremendous tiebreak. There the Canadians needed to play catch up a number of occasions, first taking place an early minibreak to path 1-3 after which appeared getting ready to defeat at 6-8.
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Nevertheless, the Canadian squad dug in and gained the final 4 factors in a row, capped off with one other huge Fernandez forehand, to complete off the win.
With the win, Canada sits atop Group Sydney Group B. Their subsequent tie will likely be on Jan. 3 towards Greece. A victory would see Canada win the group and advance to the quarter-finals, though they may advance even with a loss as the perfect second-place workforce relying on how the tiebreakers land.
