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Canada’s Fernandez scores first-round win over Samsonova at Dubai Championships

Canada's Fernandez scores first-round win over Samsonova at Dubai Championships | iNFOnews.ca
Leylah Fernandez of Canada plays a forehand return to Janice Tjen of Indonesia during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

DUBAI — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez upset 13th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in women’s singles tennis opening-round action at the Dubai Championships on Sunday.

Fernandez, of Laval, Que., had seven aces to three double faults, and converted on four of her nine break-point chances.

The unseeded Fernandez also saved 10 of Samsonova’s 13 break-point opportunities.

Samsonova had four aces to five double faults in the two-hour, 52-minute match. She fell to 0-5 in three-set matches on the season.

Fernandez will face Indonesia’s Janice Tjen on Monday.

Fellow Canadian Victoria Mboko, the 11th seed, opens her tournament against Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2026.

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The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.

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