Leylah Fernandez Dominates Anna Kalinskaya To Win Citi Open
Leylah Fernandez wins WTA DC Open, beating Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets for her first WTA 500 title in two years.
Star Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez delivered a commanding performance to beat Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets and win the WTA Tour's DC Open in Washington on Sunday, July 27.
Fernandez bagged her first WTA 500 win and her first title in two years, winning 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour.
The victory over Kalinskaya capped a fairytale week for Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, who had beaten top seed Jessica Pegula and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on her way to claiming the fourth title of her career.
Fernandez mentioned that her confidence grew throughout the tournament.
'At the beginning of the tournament, there was still a lot of doubt, but as the tournament progressed, I started to play better," Fernandez said.
'I have faced many challenges this week. I think it has made me stronger, knowing that if I can get through this week — with the cramps, long matches, heat, and humidity — I can overcome anything."
Fernandez started strongly, dominating Kalinskaya's serve to take the opening set in just 30 minutes.
After three holds left Fernandez 2-1 up, the breakthrough came in the fourth game with Kalinskaya's serve looking increasingly fragile.
The Russian faced trouble at 15-40 down and double-faulted to give Fernandez the break and a 3-1 lead.
Fernandez had no such difficulty on serve and held comfortably for a 4-1 lead before attacking Kalinskaya's serve in the sixth game.
The Canadian held two break points at 15-40 and converted the second for a 5-1 lead, hitting a backhand return that left Kalinskaya rooted to the spot.
A delicate drop shot at the net secured Fernandez the set in the next game.
The second set resembled the first, with Fernandez grabbing an early break to take the initiative at 2-1 before breaking again soon after for a 4-1 lead.
The next two games went with serve, but Fernandez made no mistake when serving for the match, converting the second of two match points.
Fernandez will head to Canada for this week's WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Montreal, where she anticipates a tougher challenge.
'Montreal is a whole different monster," she said. 'It's a bigger draw, a longer tournament. It's going to start from zero."
(With AFP Inputs)
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First Published:
July 28, 2025, 08:00 IST
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