Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns the ball to Mananchaya Sawangkaew, of Thailand, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Fernandez advances to third round at U.S. Open with win over Sawangkaew

Sep 2, 2026 | 10:02 AM

NEW YORK — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez moved on to the third round of the U.S. Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old from Laval, Que., who entered the Grand Slam ranked No. 33 in the world, won six of her eight break-point chances and took match point with an ace.

Fernandez, the U.S. Open runner-up in 2021, will next face third seed Jessica Pegula of the United States.

Pegula is 3-1 against Fernandez, including a hard-court win earlier this year in the third round of the Miami Open.

Later Wednesday, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., faced France’s Luca Van Assche in a men’s second-round match.

Men’s third seed Félix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal is scheduled to face Russia’s Karen Khachanov in a second-round match Thursday.


This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2026.

The Canadian Press