WTA Wrap: Kenin advances but Cornet beaten in Lyon, Stephens shocked in Monterrey

After two tough weeks, Sofia Kenin came through at the Lyon Open against Vitalia Diatchenko, while Sloane Stephens was beaten by Leylah Fernandez in Monterrey.

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin beat Vitalia Diatchenko in the first round of Lyon Open.

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin eased into the last 16 of the Lyon Open on Wednesday, but Alize Cornet let a lead slip to crash out. Kenin is the top seed in France this week and belatedly secured her first WTA Tour victory since a major breakthrough in Melbourne.

The American had fallen at the first hurdle in both Qatar and Dubai in recent weeks, but she had no such troubles against Vitalia Diatchenko, advancing 6-4 6-3. A pair of early breaks in the opener saw Kenin into a 4-1 lead, although opportunities for both players punctuated the contest.

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The second set began with three straight games going against the serve, before Kenin settled the match at the second attempt with her sixth successful break point from 18 attempts. Back on the winning trail, Kenin levelled her career record against Diatchenko at 1-1 after a second-round defeat at Wimbledon in 2018.

The only other round-of-32 clash on Wednesday saw France's Oceane Dodin overcome Mandy Minella in straight sets. Meanwhile, Kenin's fellow seeds Caroline Garcia - a 7-5 6-2 winner against Ysaline Bonaventure - and Alison Van Uytvanck - triumphing over Viktoriya Tomova - enjoyed victories as they played last-16 matches.

But home hopeful Cornet fell short of the quarterfinals in a 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 reverse at the hands of Camila Giorgi. Cornet led by a mini-break three times in the second-set tie-break, before Giorgi edged her opponent out and then dominated the decider.

- Stephens shocked by teenager Fernandez in Monterrey -

Sloane Stephens was bundled out of the WTA Monterrey Open as teenage sensation Leylah Fernandez reached the quarterfinals 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-3. Stephens broke through for her first win of 2020 to book her spot in Wednesday's second-round match following a difficult start to the year.

American Sloane Stephens lost 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-3 to Leylah Fernandez at the Monterrey Open on Wednesday.

 

But the American fifth seed was upstaged by 17-year-old Fernandez, who rallied past the 2017 US Open champion in three sets midweek. Fernandez was a surprise finalist at last week's Mexican Open in Acapulco, where the Canadian reached her maiden WTA decider.

The in-form teenager moved through to back-to-back quarterfinals after prevailing in more than two hours against Stephens, with either top seed Elina Svitolina or Olga Govortsova awaiting.

Elsewhere at the WTA International event, sixth seed Rebecca Peterson defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6 (7-2) 7-5, seventh seed Wang Yafan outlasted Astra Sharma 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 and ninth seed Marie Bouzkova beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4 6-1.