Leylah Fernandez pulled double duty at the United Cup on Saturday to lead Canada to victory over Croatia. Fernandez opened Day 2 by handing Donna Vekic her first career United Cup singles defeat with a 6-4, 6-3 opening victory in Perth. Croatia bounced back with an inspired comeback from Borna Coric to level the tie, but Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime bested Iva Dodig and Lucija Ciric Bagaric 6-3, 6-4 to give Canada a 1-0 record in Group A. 

Canada will be back on court on Sunday when it takes on top seeds USA at RAC Arena. 

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While Fernandez, Canada’s top player, is currently ranked No.31, the 2021 US Open finalist punched above her weight in 2024 and continued that in her season opener. Six of her 10 career Top 20 victories came last season, and she needed 1 hour and 26 minutes to add another win against that ranking group to her ledger against No.19 Vekic. Though Vekic, in her third tour for Croatia in the competition, was previously 5-0 in United Cup singles matches, she also had never faced a Top 20 opponent in United Cup to date.

There was little to separate the two players in the opening set in RAC Arena, with neither player even facing a break point in the first nine games. But a forehand winner from Fernandez turned a 0-15 10th game lead into a true opening, and a double fault by the Croatian gave the Canadian three chances for a one-set edge. Ultimately, she’d need four: After Vekic clawed back to deuce, and failed to convert a game point of her own, she double faulted for a second time in the game to hand Fernandez the set.

Another double fault, Vekic’s sixth in the match, proved key in the decisive second-set break, with the Croat serving in the eighth game of set two. Having worked out of 0-40 in her previous service game, there was no such escape for Vekic the second time around. Following the double fault, two missed backhands gave Fernandez the break—and a love hold, punctuated with her fourth ace, sealed the win.

“I’m super happy with the way that I played, the way that I stayed consistent in the tough moments,” Fernandez said on-court post-match. “Donna, she’s an incredible player and incredible fighter, and I knew she wasn’t going to give it to me, especially at the start of the second set. I’m just happy that I stayed mentally strong.”

Borna Coric battled back against Felix Auger Aliassime to level the tie and force a deciding mixed doubles rubber. After losing the opening eight games of the match, the 28-year-old dug deep for a 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory. The Canadian may rue the missed routine forehand he hit at 4-2 in the second set – a chance for two more break points on Coric’s serve – if Croatia end up clinching the tie.

“I’m not sure [how I won],” said Coric, the former No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I came out and I was not feeling my serve. It’s obviously very tough to play against him when I’m not feeling it.

“I just tried to stay positive with the crowd here and I knew I was going to have my chances. Then I started to play better. It was absolute chaos [in the third set] but in the end, I had a little bit of luck.”

Auger-Aliassime had not competed since October through injury, but won 78 percent (25/32) of points in a near-flawless first set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The former No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings then had one foot in the locker room at 4-2 in the second set, but blazed a mid-court forehand long at 15-30 on Coric’s serve. It turned out to be a pivotal moment, with Coric finding the energy to turn the match on its head.

Coric let slip the opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 in the deciding set, but recovered to cross the line in 2 hours and 19 minutes and improve to 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. 

In a winner-takes-all mixed doubles rubber, the Canadians defeated Dodig and Ciric Bagaric to seal a 2-1 triumph. Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez were clinical throughout the 66-minute contest, during which they did not face a break point.

“Positivity [was key], just having fun, I think we are just having fun on court,” said Fernandez. “We stayed aggressive within ourselves and in a lot of the important points, we were able to execute our game plan.”

Auger-Aliassime added: “It was great, no loss of serve, so that means whatever we were in control of, we were doing well. It’s all about trust, not going for too much, we trust each other.”