MELBOURNE, Australia — It was worth the wait for Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
Fernandez defeated Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-5, 6-4 in her first-round women’s singles match Sunday at the Australian Open. The contest was interrupted by a rain delay Saturday with Fernandez leading 5-3 in the opening set.
The 30th-seeded Fernandez, of Montreal, faces Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in second-round action Tuesday.
Fernandez captured the first-round contest despite registering only two aces — Starodubtseva had six — and committing six double faults, two more than her opponent. But the Canadian did earn five breaks on 10 attempts while the Ukrainian converted on three-of-11 chances.
Canada’s Rebecca Marino will play her first-round women’s singles match Monday Britain’s Kaite Boulter on Monday.