Tomljanovic heads past Fernandez to advance in Birmingham

Ajla Tomljanovic came back to beat Leylah Annie Fernandez 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham on Friday.

The veteran Australian survived a difficult opening set before winning 12 of the last 16 games to eliminate the Canadian in 1 hour 45 minutes.

The quarter-final clash featured several momentum swings.

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Initially, it was the Canadian who came out with precision and consistency. Fernandez broke in the fourth game of the opening set to build a comfortable 3-1 lead, executing a timely drop shot winner.

A second break of serve gave her more than enough cushion as the former US Open finalist wrapped up the opening set 6-1 in just 33 minutes.

Fernandez quickly picked up that momentum, opening the second set with his third break of serve.

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However, the former world no. 32 finally turned the tide.

Using a clean shot from the baseline, the 31-year-old quickly recovered the break and maintained a 2-1 lead.

At 3-2, she again applied pressure on Fernandez’s serve, breaking and securing a 5-2 lead on the scoreboard.

She closed out the second on serve, 6-3 in 38 minutes.

In the third set, the veteran continued her powerful hitting and regularly punished Fernandez’s vulnerable second serve.

A poorly timed double fault sent the Canadian down a double break.

Leading 4-1, the Aussie fended off a 0-30 opening from Fernandez and held again, before comfortably closing out the match on serve.

Tomjlanovic, who missed more than three months of action this season due to surgery, reached her first semifinal since 2024. The Australian was a two-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, the Canadian achieved a career-best result on grass courts, reaching the quarter-finals.

Fernandez is scheduled to compete at the Eastbourne International next week before heading to the All England Club.