Leylah Fernandez drops Belinda Bencic in three sets at French Open

Leylah Fernandez clenches her fist during her third-round match with Belinda Bencic at the French Open. 

Belinda Bencic once again suffered defeat at the hands of the youthful Canadian at the French Open Friday. Leylah Fernandez made her statements throughout the three-set match, defeating the 14th seed 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 on Court Philippe Chatrier on the grounds of Roland Garros.

After a big win over Bianca Andreescu, the Swiss star ran into another Canadian, who like Andreescu, made it to a main major final. Fernandez had done all right for herself this season, winning in Monterrey and putting in quality time on tour. Her experience against Bencic paid off two years ago at the Billy Jean King Cup, beating the then 23-year-old. Her wins so far against Kristina Mladenovic and Katerina Siniakova are impressive to set up a match with the 14th seed. Having made the third round before, the teen wanted to knock out another big name and surpass her personal best in Paris.

The Canadian opened service and blasted shots at Bencic, who only notched a point in the opening game. When it came time for her to serve, Fernandez managed to force deuce and worked the Swiss to break her. The teen gained a 3-0 lead on the 14th seed, backing up the early break. Bencic knew that she was out of her comfort zone and fought to change things in the fourth. She gained back her offense and knocked out a service game.

The 23-year-old scored a break and consolidated in the sixth, recovering all the ground lost to Fernandez. The Canadian followed suit with her opponent and held serve in the seventh, gaining back the lead in the process. With the business end of the set nearing, Bencic understood that losing serve was not an option and leveled the score back in response. The 14th seed had a chance to break Fernandez, but the teen fired a shot that forced Bencic to err. The Swiss turned it around for the AD point and forced an error on the other side, scoring the break.

With the door open to serve for the set, Bencic overcame the early deficit by Fernandez, only to be forced to deuce on her first set point. Having stopped the opportunity, the Canadian gained the AD point to level the score at five-all. The 17th seed put herself in a great place, taking the 11th game, with pressure back on Bencic. She opened the 12th with a miscue and a double fault, handing Fernandez a jump on the score. The Canadian took the advantage and won the next two points, clinching the first set in 57 minutes.

When playing Fernandez, errors were a huge factor in her consistent play on the court. She served 69 percent from the first serve and kept the errors low with four. Bencic struggled, despite her fight, but eight errors against the teen were too much to commit against a formidable opponent.

In the second, the competition was fierce, with Fernandez holding serve followed by Bencic. The 14th seed became enraged when she was called for time when her opponent was ready earlier. Despite her anger, she put that into breaking Fernandez to take the lead. Bencic slowed down the pace to her comfort, forcing deuce in the fourth. The Canadian teen continued to pressure Bencic through for breaks until the Swiss locked it down.

Fernandez stayed in touch with a hold of serve in the fifth, but stepping into Bencic’s serve was not in the cards, as the Swiss opened a two-game lead. The 17th seed maintained her being a break down, waiting for a chance to level the score. Bencic denied her opponent, responded well, and was on the court in the right place. She dictated the returns to break Fernandez to love, taking the set in 49 minutes.

Bencic notched 18 winners in her fight to tie up the match, dealing out a tough one for Fernandez, whose second serve struggled. She won just 42 percent and committed three double faults. With the Canadian teen in trouble, Bencic was intent on controlling the third set. The 14th seed held off the competition and broke for a 2-0 lead. When it looked as if a serve to love was going to occur for Bencic in the third, a double fault helped bring Fernandez to deuce.

She fought the next few points, scoring the break to get on the board and put the brakes on Bencic. She leveled the score after the fourth, consolidating the break, but was unable to keep up her strength. Bencic gained back the lead in the fifth but didn’t have the level of aggression to keep Fernandez in her rearview mirror. The Canadian made it three-all and created three breakpoints in the seventh. Bencic fought off two but double-faulted to secure the break for the 17th seed.

She took a 5-3 stand with a strong response on serve, putting Bencic on the ropes to save her time on the court. The Swiss fed on the pressure and blasted winners across to Fernandez, who couldn’t handle them. She still had the chance to serve for the match in the tenth, but a double fault brought up a breakpoint, which Bencic took on an error from the Canadian. Fernandez again took a step ahead of Bencic, who suffered critical errors to sit back under pressure.

With Fernandez in charge of her serve, she put everything she had left in the tank and pulled off three match points. A final serve scored her the biggest win at the major, shutting out Bencic in the 12th to complete a 2-hour and 51 minute match.