Miami Open: Leylah Fernandez stops Lesia Tsurenko

Canadian Leylah Fernandez advanced to the second round of the Miami Open by winning against Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-3 at the Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Tsurenko, who pulled out of her third-round match at Indian Wells with Aryna Sabalenka due to a panic attack, came through qualifying into the main draw by notching wins over Coco Vandeweghe and Harriet Dart in straight sets.

The Ukrainian took issue with the tour’s treatment of Ukrainian players in the media last week, saying that she was “shocked by what she heard” from WTA CEO Steve Simon during a conversation.

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Tsurenko had ‘panic attack’ after conversation about Ukraine war with WTA boss Simon

Tennis Majors

Fernandez, ranked No 53, will play No 9 seed Belinda Bencic next.

The Canadian earned her maiden main draw win at Miami, improving to 6-5 on the season.

Miami WTA 1000, other first-round results (Hard Rock Stadium, hard, USD 8.800.000, most recent results first):

• Sloane Stephens vs. Shelby Rogers
• Anna Blinkova vs. Jule Niemeier
• Taylor Townsend beat Anna Bondar: 6-4, 6-0
• Xinyu Wang beat Anna-Lena Friedsam (Q): 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
• Sofia Kenin beat Storm Hunter: 6-0, 7-6 (5)
• Marketa Vondrousova beat Tatjana Maria: 6-4, 6-1
• Robin Montgomery (WC) beat Ana Bogdan: 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
• Sorana Cirstea beat Fernanda Contreras Gomez (WC): 7-6 (6), 6-2
• Madison Brengle beat Amanda Anisimova: 7-6 (5), 5-2 ret.
• Varvara Gracheva (Q) beat Maryna Zanevska: 6-1, 7-5
• Bianca Andreescu beat Emma Raducanu: 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
• Aliaksandra Sasnovich beat Dalma Galfi: 6-3, 7-6 (5)
• Karolina Muchova (Q) beat Jil Teichmann: 6-0, 6-2
• Erika Andreeva (WC) beat Ashlyn Krueger (WC): 7-5, 6-2
• Linda Noskova beat Lucia Bronzetti: 6-3, 6-4
• Viktorija Golubic (Q) beat Hailey Baptiste (WC): 7-6 (3), 6-1
• Evgeniya Rodina beat Bernarda Pera: 6-3, 6-4
• Viktoriya Tomova (LL) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Q): 7-5, 6-2
• Laura Siegemund (Q) beat Mayar Sherif: 6-3, 6-4
• Katherine Sebov (Q) beat Linda Fruhvirtova: 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
• Tereza Martincova (Q) beat Tamara Korpatsch: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Camila Giorgi beat Kaia Kanepi: 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4)
• Claire Liu beat Katerina Siniakova: 3-6, 3-3 ret.
• Elise Mertens beat Alycia Parks: 6-1, 6-4
• Rebecca Marino beat Yulia Putintseva: 7-6 (4), 6-2
• Anna Kalinskaya beat Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (WC): 6-4, 6-2
• Mirjam Bjorklund (Q) beat Jasmine Paolini: 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Xiyu Wang beat Brenda Fruhvirtova (WC): 6-0, 7-5
• Marta Kostyuk beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto: 6-3, 6-2
• Irina-Camelia Begu beat Alexandra Eala (WC): 6-2, 7-5
• Nao Hibino (Q) beat Danka Kovinic: 6-3, 6-3