Canada's Leylah Fernandez returns to Kazakstan's Elena Rybakina during the Qatar Open quarterfinal in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – It was a tough Saturday for Canadian tennis players at the BNP Paribas Open.
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., lost 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in her women’s singles opener to 21-year-old underdog Diane Parry of France, while Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., withdrew from his men’s single match with ninth-seeded Holger Rune due to injury.
Fernandez, seeded 29th in the WTA 1000 tourney, battled against Parry, but could never catch up with her rival’s serve or aggressive return game.
Fernandez had six aces compared to Parry’s two in the two hour, 57-minute match. Parry had 10 double faults but did well with limiting her unforced errors.
Parry won 55 service points, while Fernandez had 47.
Fernandez was the lone Canadian woman competing at Indian Wells, Calif., in singles.
Raonic benefited in the first round when Rafael Nadal withdrew with an injury and instead played Sumit Nagal, which Raonic won easily.
All three tournaments that the 33-year-old Raonic has played in this year have ended with injuries. He retired in the first round of the Australian Open and in the quarterfinals of Rotterdam.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2024.
