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Leylah Fernandez Battles Back, Upsets Elena Rybakina to Advance to Washington Open Final

The 22-year-old Canadian took down Jessica Pegula, and now Rybakina, on her way to the title match.
Michael Kadlick|
Leylah Fernandez is onto the semifinals of the Washington Open.
Leylah Fernandez is onto the semifinals of the Washington Open. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Canada's Leylah Fernandez is onto the Mubadala Citi DC Open final after a grueling, three-plus-hour match against No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

Not only did the 22-year-old Fernandez fall 7–6 in the first set, but she also found herself down 3–1 and facing elimination in the second before battling back 7-6, 7-6 to reach the seventh Tour-level final of her young career.

Here's a look at the winning moment, which came after three hours and 12 minutes of play:

Fernandez will meet Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the final after she bested Great Britain's Emma Raducanu 6–4, 6–3 in the other semifinal. Fernandez won their only previous meeting in Mexico in 2021.

A victory would give Fernandez her first title since the 2023 Hong Kong Open, where she beat Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic. The final is set for Sunday at D.C.'s William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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