Fernandez upsets Rybakina in a thriller to move into the final of Citi DC Open
Leylah Fernandez edged out Elena Rybakina 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) on Saturday. She’ll play Russian Anna Kalinskaya for the title
Leylah Fernandez in Washington | © Zuma / Psnewz
Canadian Leylah Fernandez edged out Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the No 3 seed, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) to reach the final of the Washington Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on Saturday.
Fernandez and Rybakina tussled for three hours, 12 minutes, enduring three tiebreaks.
The two registered 29 aces combined, with the Kazakhstani hitting 17, but she double-faulted seven times to Fernandez’s benefit. They could break each other once during the match, with the Canadian shifting gears in crunch moments as she won seven of the final 10 points of the match.
She also broke Rybakina when she served for the match in the 10th game of the second set.
Fernandez, ranked No 36, will play Russian Anna Kalinskaya next. She leads Kalinskaya 1-0 in their head-to-head.
Earlier in the tournament, the 22-year-old Canadian won against American qualifier Taylor Townsend (6-4, 7-6 (4)), American Jessica Pegula, the top seed (6-3, 1-6, 7-5) and Australian Maya Joint (6-3, 6-3).
Rybakina, ranked No 12, defeated Pole Magdalena Frech, the No 5 seed (6-3, 6-3) and Canadian wildcard Victoria Mboko (6-3, 7-5) in the previous rounds of the Washington tournament.
Washington WTA 500, other semi-final result (William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, hard, USD 1.282.951):
- Anna Kalinskaya beat Emma Raducanu: 6-4, 6-3
