Canada’s Fernandez advances to the third round of the United States and will face Sabalenka

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez rose from a game to beat France’s Elsa Jacquemot 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the women’s singles at the U.S. Open Wednesday night.

Fernandez, the 31st seed and 2021 runner-up, won only one service match in the first set, accounting for only 42% of the first points.

The 22-year-old from Que found the rhythm in the second and third sets, holding the rest while breaking Jacquemot three times to win the game in 16 minutes in two hours.

Fernandez beat Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino 6-2, 6-1 to defeat the first round 6-2, 6-1.

She will play the world’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Friday. Sabalenka won Polina Kudermetova 7-6 (4), 6-2 late Wednesday.

Fernandez beat Sabalenka in three sets in their only meeting.

Fernandez also competes in women’s doubles with tennis legend Venus Williams.

Williams, 45, won seven Grand Slam singles trophys and 14 major titles, and he competed with Fernandez.

They will face Ukraine’s sixth seed Lyudmyla Kichenok and Australia’s Ellen Perez in the first round on Thursday.

Williams made a comeback in July 16 months after the tour, appearing in her first Grand Slam Championship in two years after her comeback in July.

In the first round of women’s singles, she lost to Carolina Mudova of the 11th seed in three sets.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand partner Erin Routliffe – the women’s doubles match was the third seed – Czech team Marketa Vondrousova and Miriam Skoch.

In men’s singles, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ontario, along with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo are all planning to compete in the second round.

Shapovalov, the 27th seed, faces Valentin Royer in France, Auger-Alissime, the 25th seed, welcomes Roman Safiullin in Russia, and Diallo, the 31st seed, meets Jaume Munar in Spain.