Canada’s Fernandez advances to junior girls semis at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia – Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez cruised into the semifinals of the Australian Open’s junior girls’ tournament on Thursday, downing France’s Manon Leonard 6-3, 6-1.

The 16-year-old from Montreal broke Leonard four times in the second set, including in the deciding game. Serving with a 5-1 deficit, Leonard dug herself into an 0-40 hole but fought off one match point before a forehand error handed Fernandez the victory.

Fernandez, seeded fourth in the junior tournament, converted on 7-of-11 break points overall and had 25 winners to Leonard’s 13.

The match lasted one hour 13 minutes.

Fernandez is No. 11 in the junior ITF rankings. Leonard in No. 89.

The Canadian will face Russia’s Anastasia Tikhonova in the semifinals.