(Doha) Leylah Annie Fernandez lost 6-2, 7-5 to Czech Karolina Pliskova in the final round of the Doha qualifying tournament on Monday, while compatriot Rebecca Marino earned her ticket to the main draw.
Fernandez, 20, gave up after an hour and 32 minutes of play.
Pliskova, the favorite in the qualifying table and 19e world player, used her power to defeat the seventh-seeded Quebecer. She notably fired 10 aces, against only one for Fernandez, and was more opportunistic than her in a break situation.
Pliskova notably stole the Lavalloise’s serve four times in as many occasions, and she only conceded hers once in seven opportunities.
It was the first career game between the two players.
For his part, Marino upset Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 6-1 in an hour and 35 minutes.
Marina, 75e world racket, is now 1-1 in career against Bouzkova, seeded second in the qualifying table. The British Columbian had suffered a defeat against the 26e player in the world in the first round of the Australian Open in 2022.
Marino was more efficient than her rival in service – she won 78.6% of the points with her first serve, compared to 59.1% for Bouzkova – and she was less messy in her game in general.
Bouzkova notably committed five double faults, against only one for the representative of the maple leaf, and she was the victim of four breaks in 14 occasions. In comparison, Marino gave up his serve only once in five attempts.
