Leylah Fernandez's five-match winning streak ended Saturday when the Canadian fell 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan in the second round of the China Open in Beijing. The 23rd-seeded Fernandez, ranked 26th in the world, had arrived in China fresh off her sixth career WTA title at the Singapore Open but could not extend her success.
Why the loss stung
Rakhimova dominated the break-point battle, converting five of 11 opportunities while Fernandez converted only two of four. The unseeded Uzbek also held a significant edge on second-serve points, winning 63 per cent to Fernandez's 33 per cent over the two-hour, 32-minute match. Rakhimova, ranked 76th, earned her fourth career win over a top-30 player and her second in five weeks, having upset Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Fernandez's recent form
The Laval native had arrived at the China Open on a high after defeating top-five seeds Mirra Andreeva and Maja Chwalinska en route to the Singapore title in late September. Despite firing four aces in Beijing, Fernandez managed only four break-point opportunities across three sets, insufficient to overcome Rakhimova's clinical serving and court positioning.
The WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing concludes 11 October.
Sources
- CBC: Canada's Leylah Fernandez ousted in 2nd round of China Open. Published 2026-10-03.
- Sportsnet.ca: Canada's Leylah Fernandez falls early at China Open. Published 2026-10-03.
Reported from public sources.