Canada's Fernandez eliminated by Sasnovich in 1st round of Italian Open

Canada's Leylah Fernandez was eliminated from the Italian Open tennis tournament after a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in first-round action in Rome on Tuesday.

Both players lost serve five times, with Fernandez defending just four break points and Sasnovich defending seven.

Fernandez, from Laval, Que., fell to 11-10 in singles competition this year.

She has had more success in doubles, reaching two finals and improving her world ranking to 38th. Fernandez and American partner Taylor Townsend will face Romania's Monica Niculescu and Japan's Makoto Ninomiya in the women's doubles first round in Rome.

WATCH | Canada's Fernandez drops Italian Open 1st round matchup: