Leylah Fernandez clinched her first Japan Open title in Osaka, beating 18‑year‑old qualifier Tereza Valentova 6‑0, 5‑7, 6‑3 in a 2‑hour, 11‑minute match. The No. 4 seed adds a fifth career title and a second WTA win of 2025 to her résumé – all of her victories coming on hard courts.
Fernandez started strong, smashing the first set in under 30 minutes and bagging a clean 6‑0 win over the Czech teenager. Valentova, who was making her WTA final debut, looked flustered at 5‑0, but she regrouped in the second set, breaking Fernandez three times to level the score and force a deciding set.
In the final set, Fernandez leaned on experience. She broke early, hitting a crisp cross‑court backhand and a follow‑up winner to hit 3‑1. Valentova fought back, earned another break and pushed the match to 4‑3, but Fernandez stayed calm and held her nerve to close out the match.
The win lifts Fernandez up five places to No. 22 in the WTA Live Rankings and restores her as Canada’s top player, regaining the No. 1 spot from Victoria Mboko.
Across the courts, Taylor Townsend and Kristina Mladenovic captured the women’s doubles trophy, overcoming Stom Hunter and Desirae Krawczyk. For Townsend – a two‑time Grand Slam champion and world No. 2 – it’s her 11th career WTA doubles title and the fourth of the season.
Source: ianslive
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