Fernandez ousted in Birmingham quarterfinals with three-set loss to Tomljanovic

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom — Canada's Leylah Fernandez faltered after a strong first set in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Rothesay Classic grass-court tennis tournament.

Fernandez, seeded sixth in Birmingham, won 82.6 per cent of first-serve points and saved the only break point she faced in the first set, while breaking Tomljanovic twice on four chances.

Tomljanovic responded and scored on both of her break points in the second set, including a key break to take a 4-2 lead.

The Australian built on that momentum in the third set, scoring two early breaks to take a 3-0 lead and cruising to victory from there.

Fernandez was playing in her first grass-court tournament of the season.

The 21-year-old from Laval, Que., ranked 33rd in the world, has a 13-12 singles record this season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2024.