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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
The WTA 500 tournament in Washington set up camp on Monday on the hard courts of the Fitzgerald Tennis Center, and the first day was not short on surprises. Between the demonstration of a defending champion eager to get going and the fall of an American seed, the women's draw of the Mubadala DC Open delivered two stories with very different tones.
Leylah Fernandez, a defense without frills
Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the 7th seed, defended her title with the efficiency of a player who knows every corner of the court.
Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the 7th seed, defended her title with the efficiency of a player who knows every corner of the court. Facing Poland's Magda Linette, she wrapped things up in 1 hour and 19 minutes: 6-1, 6-4. A score that says the essentials without telling the whole story.
The first set turned into a rout. Fernandez broke early, then again to race to 4-0. Linette, ranked 38th in the world, never found the key against the topspin forehand of the left-hander from Montreal. The second act offered a bit more resistance—the Pole saved three break points at 2-2 before dropping her serve in the seventh game. Fernandez closed it out on her first match point.
The 23-year-old is looking to relaunch a season that has been lackluster so far. A quarterfinalist in Miami in March, she hasn't advanced past the third round of a tournament since. Washington, where she claimed her first WTA 500 title last year, comes at just the right time.
Samsonova overcomes Keys in the Washington night
The first-round clash pitted two former tournament champions against each other. Madison Keys, crowned in 2023, approached this meeting as the 6th seed, buoyed by a solid spring. Liudmila Samsonova, victorious in 2022, arrived in search of her bearings after a quiet summer on the circuit.
Keys imposed her power in the first set, stringing together forehand winners to take it 6-3 in thirty-eight minutes. What followed took a completely different turn. Samsonova tightened her game, cut down on the unforced errors that had plagued her start, and began returning with renewed aggression. The second set swung on a break in the ninth game: 6-4.
The decisive set confirmed the momentum. Keys, less mobile as the rallies lengthened, conceded an early break. Samsonova, imperious on serve in the clutch moments, fended off two break-back points at 4-3 before sealing the win 6-4. Final score: 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 after 2 hours and 12 minutes of battle.
The rest of the draw
Tuesday's schedule promises more intriguing matchups. Fernandez will meet the winner of the duel between Hailey Baptiste and Wang Xiyu in the second round. Samsonova awaits the winner of the match pitting Donna Vekic against wild-card Taylah Preston.
The Mubadala DC Open, with its final scheduled for Saturday, August 2, awards 500 WTA points and nearly $1.64 million in prize money. It's an event that carries weight in the race for spots at the US Open, the season's final Grand Slam, whose main draw begins on August 31 at Flushing Meadows.
