WASHINGTON — Leylah Fernandez achieved the pinnacle of her career at the D.C. Open, securing the most decisive victory of the tournament by commanding Anna Kalinskaya with a score of 6-1, 6-2 in the final held on Sunday.
This talented left-hander, a 22-year-old from Canada ranked 36th in the world, claimed her fourth singles title—all on hard courts—and her inaugural triumph at a WTA 500 event. Just two years prior, she came tantalizingly close to a Grand Slam title, reaching the final of the 2021 U.S. Open before falling to Emma Raducanu.
There was a chance for a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya thwarted Raducanu’s hopes in the semifinals held on Saturday.
Kalinskaya, ranked 48th, had yet to lose a set throughout the tournament until Sunday’s final.
Nevertheless, she struggled to keep pace with Fernandez, who adeptly saved the only two break points she faced while breaking Kalinskaya’s serve four times in a match that concluded after just 1 hour and 10 minutes. Notably, Fernandez dominated the second serve points, winning 10 out of 12.
This marks Fernandez’s first title since her victory at the Hong Kong Open in October 2023.
Arriving in Washington with a struggling season and a record of not surpassing two wins at any tournament since last November, she turned her fortunes around impressively.
By combining exceptional baseline skills with effective net play, Fernandez eliminated top-seeded Jessica Pegula (last year’s U.S. Open runner-up) and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina (2022 Wimbledon champion) en route to her final match.
The semifinal battle against Rybakina stretched over three hours and required three tiebreaks to determine the victor.
In contrast, the final against Kalinskaya, a 26-year-old Russian, lacked any such tension. She now finds herself at 0-3 in tour-level finals, having previously lost to Jasmine Paolini in Dubai and Pegula in Berlin last year.
Later that Sunday, the men’s final was set to feature a match between No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur and No. 12 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who notably overcame No. 1 Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Fernandez is poised to take the court once again on Monday, facing Australia’s Maya Joint in the first round of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Catch her in action as she aims to extend this triumphant streak on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
