‘The match was very solid from my part’ — Leylah Fernandez secures fourth WTA Grand Slam title in Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Canadian athlete Leylah Fernandez elevated her tennis career by winning this year’s  WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open title in Washington, D.C., making it her fourth career WTA singles trophy.  Ranked world No. 36, Fernandez defeated No. 48 Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2  in the hard-court final. 

In a span of only 1 hour and 9 minutes, the athlete became the first Canadian woman to achieve the Washington title. With her win, Fernandez said in her post-match press conference: “The match was very solid from my part…  I was very happy the way that I held my nerves. I was definitely very nervous in the beginning, but I got to play my game in the important points and kind of push through those nerves, so I was super happy about that.” 

Highlights of the match

Leylah faced a break point at 1-1 in the first set, but with her capabilities and skills, she managed to hold her serve. The Canadian took control of the rest of the set as Kalinskaya lost her serve due to a double fault. Leylah won the opening game with a winning drop shot after just 30 minutes.

Fernandez continued her strong play in the second set and eventually went on to win the match. She had four out of six break points during the match and never lost her own serve.

Fernandez’s athletic performance

Leylah Fernandez reached the US Open final in 2021, but since then, she has not won any major tournament for quite some time. Her last win was in Hong Kong in October 2023, and the last time she reached a final was over a year ago when she eventually lost to Daria Kasatkina on the grass courts at the WTA 500 in Eastbourne. 

However, Fernandez prepared for her games in Washington and was ready to clinch the title. She played more than nine hours to get to the final, including a 3-hour and 12-minute match, which she won against Elena Rybakina in the semifinals.

Fernandez admitted: “I have gone through so many different challenges this week..You know, I think it just has made me stronger in a way that if I can get through this week, through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity, I can get through anything.” 

“So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments,” she added. 

 

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On social media, netizens expressed their support for the Canadian tennis star. One netizen stated: “Well yes! Leylah Annie Fernandez, the new queen of D.C. is Canadian. It sounds very correct. ❤️” 

Another netizen remarked: “She really played her heart out. Good for you queen!” 

One more netizen said: “What a great week of Tennis. So resilient !! Congrats !! 😎✌️”