TOKYO — Leylah Fernandez from Canada has made her way into the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open after the tournament’s top seed, Elena Rybakina, had to withdraw from their quarterfinal match due to an undisclosed injury.
The 24-year-old athlete hailing from Laval, Quebec, has experienced a remarkable resurgence this season, clinching victory at the Singapore Open in September and reaching the final of the Ningbo Open last Sunday, where she faced Rybakina and lost 6-2, 6-2.
Following her impressive performance in Ningbo, Fernandez skyrocketed seven places to secure the No. 23 spot in the latest WTA rankings.
In an announcement made from the court in Tokyo, Rybakina shared her news with the audience, revealing that she had been battling a “minor injury” over the past few days and needed to prioritize her recovery for the upcoming WTA Finals in Indian Wells next month.
Rybakina concluded her statement with a hopeful, “I look forward to seeing all of you next year.”
Fernandez is set to challenge Kamilla Rakhimova for a chance to compete in the final after Rakhimova triumphed over Maya Joint with a score of 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.
Rybakina has also secured her position as the year-end No. 1 in the rankings following her victory in the last-16 round on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and her Brazilian partner, Luisa Stefani, have advanced to the semifinals in Tokyo as well.
They will compete against Australia’s Joint and Storm Hunter for a place in the doubles final.
In other singles action, No. 3 seed Diana Shnaider mounted a comeback to defeat No. 8 seed Alexandra Eala with a score of 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Shnaider’s next opponent will be teenager Mia Pohankova, who secured her spot by beating Alycia Parks 7-6 (3), 6-3. Pohankova, who just turned 18 last week, was a wild-card entry into the tournament.
— with files from The Canadian Press
