Leylah Annie Fernandez of Montreal, Quebec is in the fourth round of the 2026 Madrid Open in Spain. On Saturday, Fernandez delivered a third round upset as she defeated Iva Jovic of the United States, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Jovic is the higher seeded player, as she is ranked 15th in Madrid, while Fernandez is seeded 24th.
The reason why Jovic is ranked 15th in Madrid is because of her surprise win at the 2025 Guadalajara Open in Mexico this past September. In the final as an unseeded player, Jovic defeated Emiliana Arango of Colombia in the final, 6-4, 6-1.
In Saturday’s third round match in Madrid, Fernandez had the strong advantage when it came to winning percentage on second serve points. Fernandez was at 67% and Jovic was at 47%. This was their first ever meeting head-to-head.
Next up for Fernandez is American Ann Li, the 31st seed on Monday. Li has won their two prior matches. Her wins came in the second round of Madrid in 2025 (6-4, 3-6, 6-4), and the first round of Doha in 2026 (6-4, 6-3). Li is coming off a win over Poland’s Iga Swiatek as the world number four withdrew from her third round match in the third set due to illness.
Fernandez is one of two Canadians left in the singles draws. On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, the third seed, will face Alexander Blockx of Belgium in round three on Monday.
