Elena Rybakina, crowned the 2022 Wimbledon champion, faced off against the 2021 US Open finalist amidst the sweltering temperatures of the nation’s capital. The Mubadala Citi DC Open, a high-stakes 500-level joint event on the ATP and WTA tours, set the stage for this intense showdown. As the number three seed, Rybakina has enjoyed a peak ranking of #3, though she currently sits at #12. At just twenty-six, the Kazakh star was on the hunt for her second final appearance of the season, following her run in Strasbourg.
Leylah Fernandez, a dynamic twenty-two-year-old lefty from Canada, achieved her career-best ranking of #13 in 2022 but is presently at #36. She made a strong push to the semifinals, taking down two-time champion Maya Joint and world #4 Jessica Pegula with a score of 7–5 in a gripping third set. With three titles to her name, Fernandez aimed for her seventh final and her prestigious debut at this level. This marked their third encounter at the tour level, having split their previous two matches on hard courts last season.
Rybakina won the coin toss and opted to serve first. The third seed quickly showcased her prowess with forehand winners, comfortably holding her serve at 15 while Fernandez responded emphatically with two winners to claim a love hold.
Starting the third game, Rybakina unleashed a powerful cross-court forehand, holding at love for 2-1. Fernandez followed suit with an ace, restoring parity with another love hold. Rybakina then faced her first double fault on the scoreboard but bounced back with dominant serving, exhibiting an ace to hold at 3-2. The young Canadian continued her aggressive play, hitting two winners including her second ace, leveling the match once again.
In the seventh game, Rybakina encountered tension, opening with a double fault and battling through two deuces. Nevertheless, she maintained her composure and rallied with three impressive winners to secure a 4-3 lead. Fernandez served flawlessly with new balls, landing all 4 first serves and leveling the match once again. Rybakina, meanwhile, showcased her strength with consecutive forehand winners, holding at love for 5-4.
Under pressure to hold serve, Fernandez reached 40-15 with her third ace but encountered deuce before leveling at five. Rybakina answered back with 3/4 first serves and, leveraging a stunning lob and an unreturnable serve, held at love to reach 6-5.
As Fernandez served to force a tiebreak, both players held their serves with remarkable ease, but Rybakina upped her game in the tiebreak, showcasing relentless aggression with three remarkable winners, sealing it with a score of 7–2.
In the second set, Fernandez opened with a shaky performance marred by three unforced errors, including a double fault, losing her serve as Rybakina took advantage and held easily at 15. With some resilience, Fernandez regrouped, firing three winners even while facing deuce and break points, ultimately holding for 1-2.
Rybakina’s serving woes continued with another double fault leading to break point, but she held strong with her formidable serving skills, maintaining a 3-1 lead. With exhilarating rallies, Fernandez faced double break points yet managed to hold with an ace and an exceptional forehand down the line.
Giving her all, Rybakina held for 4-2 while Fernandez leveled at 3-4, showing commendable resilience. Rybakina staved off a potential breakout by holding behind a barrage of winners at crucial moments.
Now on the precipice of victory, Rybakina faltered under pressure. As she attempted to serve for the match, a series of errors crept in, leading to a lost serve. Level at five, a spirited Fernandez rallied spectacularly, capitalizing on her opponent’s mistakes while crafting stunning shots to stay alive in the match.
Both women battled fiercely, with Fernandez pulling ahead to 50 in the tiebreak. Though Rybakina fought back, she could not recover from a troubling double fault, handing the set to Fernandez, who seized the moment.
As the temperatures soared, Rybakina displayed signs of fatigue, while Fernandez reveled in her support from the crowd, ready to seize her opportunity in the deciding set.
In the third set, Rybakina successfully held her serve, boasting her twelfth ace, while Fernandez matched her ace for ace, leaving the score tied at 11. The match unfolded with both players exchanging powerful serves and tactical strikes, as Rybakina held 3-2 then Fernandez kept pace at 22.
The intensity only escalated, as Fernandez unleashed her ninth ace yet faced deuce, ultimately holding firm amid the pressure. Rybakina teetered at the chance of sealing the match, facing break points yet managing to clutch a lead of 5-4.
Fernandez, displaying remarkable poise, served crucially to stay in the match; with ferocity, she held serve and leveled at six, driving the match into the pivotal tiebreak showdown.
What initially looked like a straightforward win for Rybakina quickly turned complex. Despite leading to 35, the relentless Fernandez capitalized on her mistakes and held firm through to the final stretch. With her opponent faltering, Fernandez pounced on the opportunity, clinching the set and the match!
After an exhilarating 3 ¼ hour battle, Leylah Fernandez celebrated her seventh career final, making waves with her formidable serving statistics—hitting 12 aces compared to just 3 double faults and winning an impressive 72% of her first serve points. While she faced challenges against Rybakina’s first serves, she remarkably converted 54% of her return points against second serves.
In the final, Fernandez will face off against Anna Kalinskaya, the twenty-six-year-old Russian currently ranked #48. After reaching a career-high ranking of #11 last year, Kalinskaya aims to capture her first tour-level title following two finalist appearances earlier this season, including one at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai.
This will be their second meeting at the tour level since Fernandez triumphed in a nail-biting three-set battle in Guadalajara back in 2021.
