MONTERREY - Leylah Fernandez needed a major confidence boost after back-to-back opening-round exits at the National Bank Open in Montreal and Cincinnati Open.

The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., got it Monday night in Mexico with a 6-3, 7-5 first-round victory over Jaqueline Cristian of Romania at the WTA 500 Monterrey Open, where she is a former two-time champion.

The seventh-seeded Fernandez, who posted on Instagram that "I like to think every setback is just a setup for the comeback," won the first set in 35 precision-filled minutes.

Both players stayed on serve in the tight second set until Fernandez broke Cristian at 5-5, then served out to win 7-5 to take the match in one hour, 33 minutes.

Fernandez, who won the Washington Open last month, advances to the round of 16 and will face

See Full Page