Prudential Hong Kong Open: Leylah Fernandez gets her title defence off to a flyer
Heather Watson had beaten Leylah Fernandez in their three previous meetings, although the last of those was in 2020
Leylah Fernandez got her defence of the Prudential Hong Kong Open off to the best possible start on Tuesday, beating former British No 1 Heather Watson in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
And despite appearing to be less than half full, the Hong Kong crowd at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium’s centre court gave Fernandez, 22, the loudest cheer of the day as she came out and then quickly went about dismantling 32-year-old veteran Watson.
Fernandez, who has three ATP titles to her name, had the round of 32 tie wrapped up in one hour and 26 minutes and said it felt great to be back in the city.
“It feels great to be back in Hong Kong and play in front of you guys. You guys are amazing,” Fernandez said.
“Heather is extremely talented; she’s a great player. I’ve played her three times in my career, and all three times have been a battle. I’m just happy today I stayed mentally focused … and just tried to execute my game as much as possible.”
This was the fourth time that Fernandez had faced Watson in her professional career, with the Briton getting the best of her on all three previous occasions. However, the pair’s last meeting was in 2020, when Fernandez was just 17 years old.
