Canada's Fernandez reaches semis in China, setting up rematch with Siniakova

Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez moved closer to her second straight WTA Tour title Friday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in quarterfinal action at the Jiangxi Open.

The 22-year-old had four aces and broke her Belarusian opponent four times on seven chances as she increased her winning streak to eight matches.

WATCH | Fernandez downs Sasnovich:

Fernandez will face Czechia's Katerina Siniakova in Saturday's semifinals. It's a rematch of the final of last week's Hong Kong Open, which Fernandez won in three sets to claim her first title in 19 months.

The Laval, Que., product had to play two matches Friday due to Thursday's wet weather in Nanchang. She beat Chinese qualifier You Xiaodi 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the quarters.

WATCH | Fernandez tops You:

A U.S. Open finalist in 2021, Fernandez has struggled with injuries and consistency in recent months, but has shown a return to form of late.

She entered the Jiangxi Open ranked 43rd in the world, up from 60th entering the Hong Kong Open.

Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime went down quietly against American qualifier Marcos Giron in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open.

The Montreal native fell 6-1, 6-4 against his 79th-ranked opponent. 

Giron, who will meet American Robby Shelton next, made a fast start in both sets to carry him to an 81-minute win against Auger-Aliassime, who had reached his first tour-level quarterfinal since May.