Fernandez Wins Fourth Career WTA Title With DC Triumph
Leylah Fernandez delivered a dominant performance on Sunday in Washington, D.C. as she defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour to capture the Mubadala Citi DC Open title.
“The match was very solid from my part. I was very happy with the way that I held my nerves,” Fernandez said. “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.”
The title is the fourth of Fernandez’s career, and her first since she won the Hong Kong title back in 2023.
She was determined to snap that drought on Sunday and made quick work of Kalinskaya, after laboring for more than nine hours in her previous matches leading into the final.
“I have gone through so many different challenges this week. You know, I think it just 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 everything,” Fernandez said. “ 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.”
Fernandez converted four of six break points while never dropping serve. As a result, Fernandez moves up 12 spots in the WTA Rankings to 24th in the world.
Kalinskaya is up 17 spots to 31st in the world.
