Leylah Fernandez's French Open campaign ended in the first round Monday with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to American Alycia Parks. The Canadian, seeded 24th, was broken four times on nine chances and hit seven double-faults in the clay-court defeat.
Why this matters for Canadian tennis
Fernandez's exit eliminates one of Canada's top players from the women's draw at Roland Garros. The 23-year-old from Laval, Quebec, was eliminated in the first round for a second consecutive year, despite reaching the quarterfinals at the same tournament in 2022. Parks, who struggled with her first serve at 49.2 per cent accuracy, compensated by winning 60 per cent of her second-serve points.
Head-to-head record
Parks beat Fernandez for the second time at a Grand Slam, having also won in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open. Fernandez had defeated Parks in their other meeting in the second round of the 2025 Miami Open, so the pair's overall record now favours Parks at Grand Slams.
Other Canadians still in the draw
Several Canadian players remained in the singles draws after Fernandez's loss. Félix Auger-Aliassime, seeded fourth in the men's draw, was scheduled to face Germany's Daniel Altmaier in his opening match Tuesday. Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ontario, was paired with Portugal's Jaime Faria, and Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ontario, seeded ninth in the women's draw, was matched up with Czechia's Nikola Bartunkova.
Sources
- Sportsnet.ca: Canada's Leylah Fernandez eliminated in Round 1 of French Open. Published 2026-05-25.
- Winnipeg Free Press: Canada's Fernandez loses 6-4, 6-4 to Parks in first round of French Open. Published 2026-05-25.
Reported from public sources.