Leylah Fernandez Reaches Tokyo Final as Canada's Tennis Surge Continues
Leylah Fernandez dug in when it mattered most in Tokyo, then walked off the court with another final on her racket and Canada riding a serious wave in women’s tennis.
The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., battled past Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the Japan Open final, grinding through a one-hour 54-minute semifinal that never really allowed her to relax.
First Set
The first set told the story. Fernandez had to absorb Rakhimova’s weight of shot, hang in the longer exchanges and pick her moments to strike. When the pressure rose near the business end of the opener, Fernandez tightened her patterns, found more first serves and broke through. From 5-5, she seized control, taking two straight games and the set, and with it, most of the oxygen in the match.
Second Set
Once in front, she began to dictate more freely. The left-hander’s depth and angles pulled Rakhimova wider and wider, and the scoreboard started to tilt. A decisive break in the second set gave Fernandez a cushion she never surrendered as she closed out a straight-sets win and a place in Sunday’s showpiece.
Waiting for her there is Diana Shnaider. The Russian earned her spot with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (7) victory over Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova in the other semifinal, edging a tight tiebreak to avoid a deciding set. Shnaider’s aggressive baseline game and willingness to take the ball early promise a very different test for Fernandez, who now stands one win from the title in Tokyo.
Dabrowski into Doubles Final
Canada’s presence in Japan doesn’t end with Fernandez.
Gabriela Dabrowski, the top seed in women’s doubles alongside Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani, also punched her ticket to a final on Saturday. The experienced pair had to come from behind, outlasting Australians Storm Hunter and Maya Joint 5-7, 6-4, 10-3 in a match tiebreak.
After dropping a tight opening set, Dabrowski and Stefani raised their level on return, squeezed more errors from the Australian duo and dragged the contest into a decider. Once they reached the 10-point tiebreak, their class told. The Canadian-Brazilian team raced away on the scoreboard, closing it out 10-3 to underline why they arrived in Tokyo as the top seeds.
Their reward is a Sunday final against Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, who swept aside Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalíková and Great Britain’s Olivia Nicholls 6-4, 6-0 in the other semifinal. Errani’s craft and Paolini’s power form a sharp contrast to Dabrowski and Stefani’s own blend of touch and aggression, setting up a compelling tactical battle for the title.
Andreescu Extends Winning Streak in Mexico
While Fernandez and Dabrowski pushed deep into the draw in Japan, Bianca Andreescu kept Canada’s momentum rolling a continent away.
The Mississauga, Ont., native stormed into the semifinals of the Querétaro Open in Querétaro, Mexico, on Friday, dismantling Spain’s Alicia Herrero Linana 6-1, 6-1 in just 55 minutes. Seeded No. 4 at the WTA 125 event, Andreescu barely gave her opponent a foothold, controlling rallies from the baseline and rattling through her ninth straight victory.
The one-sided scoreline reflected a player in full command of her patterns and her confidence. Andreescu was scheduled to face France’s Carole Monnet in Saturday’s semifinals, with a place in the final — and a continuation of her resurgent run — on the line.
Three Canadians, three deep runs, and titles suddenly within reach on two different continents. The question now is how much silverware this surge can turn into before the week is out.
