Leylah Fernandez had a long and successful run in doubles at the Madrid tournament, but her journey ended in Friday’s semifinals.
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The Quebecer and her partner, American Taylor Townsend, lost in three sets 6-4, 0-6 and 10-6 to Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka.
The duel took place in three stages and finally lasted only 1 h 22 min.
No fewer than seven service breaks were made in the first set. Fernandez and Townsend, however, flinched at their worst moment while in possession and trailed 5-4.
The second set was the affair of the North Americans. They won two-thirds of the rallies and used three of the six break points they offered to force a tie-break.
However, Fernandez and his partner woke up too late in that final lap to get the best 10 points. Trailing 1-6 early on, they managed to close the gap to two points but lost on the first match point to Azarenka and Haddad Maia.
These will meet the strong American couple Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the first seed, in the grand final.