Canadian US Open finalist Leylah Fernández saved four match points in the third set and won 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) against Colombian Camila Osorio and retained the title at the Monterrey Tennis Open.
Fernández, twenty-first in the world, started aggressively, broke the serve in the second game and took a 4-1 lead, with a good performance from her first serve, however Osorio recovered from a break ponit in the sixth. game’ and broke in the ninth.
With 80 percent of the points scored on the first serve, ‘slices’ that took the Canadian out of the comfort zone and a good defense, the Colombian secured the ‘tiebreak’ which she won 7-5 to take advantage.
In the second set, Fernández was again better at the start, breaking his rival’s serve in the second and fourth games, but failed to confirm in the fifth and Osorio began to press. Leylah saved a triple breakpoint in the 10th to take the set 6-4.
The deciding set was one of emotions. For the third time, Leylah started with a ‘break’ in the first game, but Osorio returned the break in her serve and they reached the fourth, in which the Colombian took advantage of her mobility across the field by placing points near the lines and snapped.
Cold-blooded, Fernández kept his tennis level up, regained his senses in the returns and broke in the seventh game to make it 4-4 in the eighth.
Osorio, player 44 of the world, reached the twelfth game with a 6-5 lead. He came out to win and secured four match points from which Fernández escaped, the last after waiting for a lighting failure.
In the tiebreak, the Canadian of Ecuadorian roots made a mini-break in the fifth run, another in the ninth and won 7-3 to confirm her champion status after a 2-hour, 52-minute fight.
