Leylah Fernandez breezes to win over British opponent to begin Hong Kong title defence

Defending champion Leylah Fernandez advanced to the second round of the Hong Kong Open tennis tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Britain's Heather Watson on Tuesday.

Fernandez, the third seed from Laval, Que., punished her opponent's mistakes by converting five of her seven break-point chances.

On serve, Fernandez had four aces and defended four of the five break points she faced.

Fernandez improved to 1-3 against Watson in their first meeting since the 2020 Acapulco final.

Fernandez will next face Australia's Kimberly Birrell in the second round of the WTA 250 tournament.

In other tennis news, top-seeded Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the Paris Masters, citing a virus.

The Italian player, who is guaranteed to finish the year as No. 1, said in a message relayed by organizers he is not able to play this week.

"I came very early here to prepare then I fell sick, I'm having a virus at the moment, which is going to pass the next two to three days, so body-wise I'm not ready to compete," Sinner said.

Sinner is the second high-profile player to pull out of the final Masters 1000 event of the year following seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Sinner earlier this month beat Djokovic in straight sets to win the Shanghai Masters, giving the Italian his tour-leading seventh title of the season. Sinner became the first man to win more than six titles in a season since Andy Murray won nine in 2016.

The victory for Sinner came after he lost the final of the China Open in Beijing to Carlos Alcaraz and amid an ongoing doping case.

Organizers did not give a reason last week for Djokovic's withdrawal.

The 37-year-old has won a record seven titles at the Paris indoor tournament. His decision not to play could jeopardize his chances to