Canada's Leylah Fernandez finally has solved Maria Sakkari.
Fernandez won for the first time in four career matches against Greece's Sakkari, rolling to a 6-2, 6-0 triumph in the second round of the China Open on Friday.
The 25th-seeded Fernandez, who got a bye in the first round of the WTA Tour 1000 hard-court event, was playing for the first time since losing to No. 1 seed and eventual champ Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the U.S. Open in late August.
Sakkari, ranked 56th in the world, also was ousted in the third round of the last Grand Slam of the season. She reached a career-best No. 3 in the rankings in 2022.
Fernandez converted all five of her break points against Sakkari. She feasted on Sakkari's second serve, winning more than 63 per cent of those points.
Fernandez, from Laval, Que., will next face No. 2 seed Coco Gauff, who defeated Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 in the second round.
The American is 2-0 lifetime against Fernandez, winning all four sets in the matches played earlier this year in Australia.
Canada's Victoria Mboko, the No. 21 seed, is scheduled to face Anastasia Potapova in the second round on Saturday.
Mboko, who won the National Bank Open in August in Montreal, hasn't played since losing in the first round of the U.S. Open.
