Canada’s Fernandez advances to Citi Open final with three-set win over Rybakina

WASHINGTON — Leylah Fernandez is on to the finals of the Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Fernandez, from Laval, Que., beat the third-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) in a three-hour and 12-minute women’s singles marathon on Saturday afternoon.

Fernandez, who was one game away from defeat against Rybakina, will face Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in Sunday’s final. Kalinskaya defeated Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday’s other semifinal.

Fernandez was ranked 36th in the world heading into the Citi Open. She is scheduled to play in the National Bank Open in Montreal this coming week.

The 22-year-old Fernandez is now into her first final since she lost to Australia’s Daria Kasatkina on the grass courts of Eastbourne last June.

Fernandez is seeking her first title since 2023 in Hong Kong. All of her three career WTA singles titles have come on hard court.

She also reached the U.S. Open final in 2021 where she lost to Raducanu. Both players were unseeded in that championship match and Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2025.