Leylah Annie Fernandez and Denis Shapovalov didn’t spend much time booking their ticket into the US Open third round on Wednesday.
Fernandez continued her efficient start at the 2026 US Open, advancing to the third round of the year's final major with another straight-set win. She dispatched Mananchaya Sawangkaew to reach round three in New York for the third time in her career.
A quick start set up the lone Canadian woman in the singles draw well as she kept her nose in front throughout the match. Despite Sawangkaew battling back multiple times, Fernandez had all the answers and was able to advance with a 6-4, 6-1 win.
The Canadian was the cleaner of the two out on Court 7, hitting 12 winners to her opponent's 10 and committing 11 fewer unforced errors. She also converted six of eight break-point chances while saving six of the nine on her own serve.
Fernandez picked up where she left off after her solid round-one win, breaking Sawangkaew in the Thai's opening service game on her way to a quick 3-0 lead. A sloppy game by the Canadian gifted the break back for 3-2, but the Thai could not capitalize on the reprieve as Fernandez immediately broke again to go back up a break.
Sawangkaew was not going away quietly. As the Lavalloise tried to serve out the set at 5-3, a couple of backhand misses opened the door for the Thai to get back on serve. She missed her first break-point chance but on the second, ripped a line-clipping backhand winner to recover the break. However, just like the last time she broke, Sawangkaew could not consolidate. Serving to stay in it at 4-5, she double-faulted to go down love-40 and on her second set point, Fernandez blasted a forehand winner up the line to wrap up the opening frame.
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Set two got off to a similar start, with the Canadian breaking for a quick 2-0 lead. This time, she failed to consolidate but the same pattern of Sawangkaew being unable to back up her own breaks carried over into the second set. The Thai broke for 1-2, only to double fault to go down 15-40 in the next game and missed a backhand to give Fernandez the advantage right back.
That break of the Fernandez serve in the third game was the only resistance the Thai could muster in the second set. The Lavalloise pulled off an impressive hold from 15-40 down to go up 4-1 and then Sawangkaew fell apart in the subsequent service game, committing back-to-back double faults from 40-15 up before a pair of forehand misses that were nowhere close to the court gave the Canadian a chance to serve out the match.
Unlike the first set, Fernandez did not blink trying to close it out. She only dropped one more point and punched her ticket to round three on her first match point with an ace.
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Fernandez will face an accomplished American in round three, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula.
Shapovalov Sets up Shelton Clash in Round Three
Denis Shapovalov secured a second-straight trip to the US Open third round on Wednesday, beating Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-0, 6-4, 7-6(7).
The Canadian No. 2 came out flying, serving up his first Grand Slam bagel since last year’s US Open first round. The 27-year-old from Richmond Hill finished with 50 winners and was efficient on break point, converting seven of nine Van Assche, a recent champion at the Quebec City Challenger, made a late push to try to extend the match, breaking the Canuck back-to-back to crawl back from a 1-5 deficit in the third, but was ultimately defeated in a tiebreaker.
Shapovalov had to navigate through a difficult opening service game right out of the gates. The Richmond Hillian dug himself out of a 15-40 hole, then saved two more break points before holding after deuce four. The former US Open quarter-finalist didn’t let his break opportunities go to waste, though. Shapovalov broke on the first try at 0-1,15-40, and again at 0-3, 30-40.
The Canadian held set point on the half-an-hour mark at 0-5, 15-40, as he unleashed his 11th winner of the opener to secure the bagel.
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Shapovalov began the second on the front foot as well, breaking Van Assche in the fourth game, but was broken back as the French No. 4 soon evened the set at 3-3.
The Canuck held his nerve the rest of the way, saving two break points over his next two service games before gaining the opportunity to close out the set on return at 4-5,15-40. Shapovalov stayed in the long rally as Van Assche eventually found the net to hand the Canadian the two-set advantage.
Determined to close out the match in straight sets, Shapovalov came out firing in the third. The world No. 48 fired seven winners across the opening three games as he grasped the early edge in the set, up 3-0.
Shapovalov notched his sixth break of the evening in the sixth game, setting him up to serve for the match at 5-1.
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Van Assche made a push to stay alive, though. With Shapovalov twice serving for the match, the Frenchman broke in back-to-back return games and capped it off with a comfortable hold from 4-5, 40-love, to get back on level terms at five apiece.
Shapovalov overcame a shaky end to the set and started the tiebreaker strong, getting out to a 4-1 lead. However, another push brought Van Assche back to 4-all, then later set point at 5-4. Shapovalov kept his cool to fend that off, before gaining match point on serve at 8-7. The Canadian went on the attack early and finished off the contest with a walk-off overhead, with the bat-flip esc celebration to match.
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Like Fernandez, Shapovalov will also be playing the American No. 1 in round three as he meets Ben Shelton, who the Canuck has failed to beat in four meetings.
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Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
