Leylah Fernandez endures service struggles on way to 1st-round exit at Italian Open

Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., made an early exit from the Italian Open on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-1 first-round loss to Romanian veteran Ana Bogdan in Rome.

The 21-year-old from Laval, Que., struggled with her serve. She won 56.1 per cent of first serve points and was broken five times on eight changes.

Bogdan saved five of six breaks and won 56.1 per cent of total points to wrap up the match in one hour 42 minutes.

Fernandez's career record in the main draw of the WTA 1000 clay-court event fell to 1-3.

Fernandez, ranked 34th in the world, has an 8-10 record this season.

She has won multiple matches at just one tournament, when she advanced to the quarterfinals in Doha, Qatar in February.

WATCH l Fernandez loses opening match in Rome to Bogdan in straights sets:

Paula Badosa showed signs of her former top-five form during a 6-2, 6-3 victory over 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the first round.

Badosa was ranked as high as No. 2 before she missed the second half of last year due to a back injury that has also slowed her this season. She's now No. 126.

Badosa jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set before a 45-minute rain delay and then picked up where she left off against the 40th-ranked Andreeva, who was the WTA tour's newcomer of the year in 2023.

Badosa reached the quarterfinals in Rome last year but that turned out to be her penultimate tournament of the season.

It was Badosa's first win since beating Simona Halep at the Miami Open last month in Halep's return from a doping ban. It also ended Badosa's six-match losing streak against players ranked in the top 40 that had stretched back to Rome last year.

Also on the red clay at the Foro Italico, Shelby Rogers routed Italian wild-card entry Lisa Pigato 6-1, 6-0.

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