Fernandez advances to Madrid Open quarterfinals with doubles partner Taylor Townsend

Leylah Fernandez is showing well in doubles play in Madrid following a quick exit last week from the women's singles tournament.

The native of Laval, Que., and American partner Taylor Townsend downed Georgian athlete Oksana Kalashnikov and Yana Sizikova of Russia 7-5, 6-3 in a round of 32 match on Monday.

Fernandez and Townsend will face Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei of and Barbora Strýcová of the Czech Republic in a Tuesday quarterfinal.

Fernandez and Townsend came up short in their title bid at the Miami Open last month, dropping a 7-6(6), 6-2 decision to the second-seeded American duo of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the final.

It marked Fernandez's second WTA doubles final of the season and second of her young career. She finished as the runner-up at the year's first event in Auckland alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Fernandez and Townsend debuted as a team in March with a round of 16 showing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and later played in Charleston, S.C.

On Sunday, Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil's Luisa Stefani defeated Erika Andreeva and Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in second-round action.

Fernandez was eliminated from the Madrid Open in singles action last Wednesday after a 6-3, 6-4 first-round loss to 16-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva.

The Russian teen, ranked 194th in the world, needed just one hour 16 minutes to upset the 49th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist.

WATCH | Fernandez ousted by Russian teen Andreeva in Madrid:

Andreeva's impressive run at the Madrid Open came to an end with a loss to second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka on Monday.

After three straight-set victories against top-40 opponents in her main-draw debut, the 16-year-old wild-card entry couldn't get past Sabalenka in the