Leylah Fernandez Advances to the Japan Open Final
OSAKA, Japan – The last seeded player in the WTA Japan Open, Leylah Fernandez, has secured her place in Sunday’s final after defeating Sorana Cîrstea.
Fernandez defeated Cîrstea with a score of 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
In the decisive set, with a score of 4-4, Fernandez managed to break Cîrstea’s serve and then held her own serve in the following game, thus securing her advance to the final.
The Canadian tennis player, seeded number four, will face the young Tereza Valentova, 18 years old and coming from the qualifying phase, in the final. Valentova achieved victory over Jaqueline Cristian with a score of 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal.
Cristian reached the semifinals after Naomi Osaka, the top seed, withdrew due to a left leg injury on Friday, giving the Romanian player a direct pass to the quarterfinals.
Fernandez, finalist of the US Open in 2021, reaches her eighth final in her career. Her only semifinal appearance this season was at the WTA 500 D.C. Open, where she was crowned champion after defeating Anna Kalinskaya, thus obtaining her fourth WTA singles title.
Fernandez suffered a three-set defeat to Coco Gauff in the second round of the China Open at the end of September.
