In an intense showdown on Sunday in Tokyo, Russian tennis star Diana Shnaider showcased her resilience, overcoming Canadian Leylah Fernandez to clinch the coveted women’s singles title at the Japan Open.
Shnaider, the tournament’s third seed, initially took the lead with a 6-4 victory in the first set. However, Fernandez fought back fiercely, securing a 7-5 win in the second set to set up a thrilling decider. Ultimately, Shnaider’s stamina shone through as she dominated the third set, sealing the match 6-2 after a grueling two hours and 19 minutes.
Fernandez, hailing from Laval, Quebec, struggled with her performance, tallying five unforced errors and an equal number of double faults, while Shnaider remained composed with two aces and zero double faults.
Throughout the match, Shnaider triumphed in six of 15 return games and won 11 out of 15 service games, whereas Fernandez managed to claim just four of her 15 return games and only nine of her 15 service games.
Fernandez reached the final by defeating Russian-born Uzbekistani Kamilla Rakhimova with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday, while Shnaider secured her spot by outpacing Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7).
Meanwhile, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, alongside her partner Luisa Stefani from Brazil, was set to face the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the women’s doubles final later that day.
