(Eastbourne) Leylah Annie Fernandez reached the final four of the Eastbourne grass tournament on Thursday morning after crushing Briton Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-1.
It was the second career duel between the two players on the WTA circuit, and it ended after just 67 minutes on the British pitch. Dart defeated Fernandez in the first round of the National Bank Montreal Open in 2021.
Fernandez, the 30th racket in the world, will face in the semi-finals of this preparatory tournament for Wimbledon the winner of the duel between the American Madison Keys, fourth seed in the tournament, and the Czech Karolina Muchova.
The Quebecer, who covets a first title in 2024 and a fourth career among professionals, dominated her opponent in the service – winning 80.8% of the points with her first ball. She also recorded two aces, compared to just one for Dart, the 105th-ranked player in the world.
The 21-year-old from Laval was also more opportunistic than her rival, having converted five of her seven break points. Dart, in comparison, delighted the serve of the representative of the maple leaf on her only occasion of the match.
On the other hand, Ontario’s Marina Stakusic secured her ticket to the main draw of Wimbledon by defeating Briton Amarni Banks 6-3, 6-0 in the third and final round of qualifying.
Stakusic, 164th player in the world, will therefore participate in her first career Grand Slam tournament, after beating the French Carole Monnet and Chloé Paquet in the two previous rounds.
The draw for the men’s and women’s draws will take place on Friday morning at the All England Club.
