WASHINGTON, D.C., July 27, 2025 — Leylah Fernandez staged a dramatic comeback in the Mubadala Citi DC Open semifinals on Saturday, saving a match point and battling through three tiebreaks to secure her first final appearance in over a year.
Fernandez Survives Epic Tiebreak Thriller
A gritty, three-hour-plus victory propels Canadian into Washington, D.C. final.
Key Takeaways:
- Leylah Fernandez reached her first final in over a year after a grueling 3-hour, 12-minute semifinal win.
- The Canadian battled back from a game away from defeat, overcoming Elena Rybakina in three tiebreaks.
- Fernandez could face Emma Raducanu in a rematch of their memorable 2021 U.S. Open final.
Fernandez, the world No. 36, pushed past Kazakhstan’s No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina with a 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 7-6(3) victory. The win marks a significant milestone for Fernandez, who last reached a final at Eastbourne in June, where she finished runner-up.
On a warm day in the U.S. capital, the match was a tense affair. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and this year’s ace leader, served for the match at 7-6(2), 5-4 and never reached match point. Fernandez’s sharp returns broke Rybakina’s serve at a crucial moment, forcing a second-set tiebreak that the Canadian dominated.
The deciding set remained on serve, but Fernandez proved the more resilient player in extended rallies. Despite Rybakina’s power, Fernandez’s groundstrokes ultimately prevailed in the final tiebreak.
Fernandez now advances to face the winner of the semifinal between Anna Kalinskaya and Emma Raducanu. A potential final against Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, would be a rematch of their iconic clash at Flushing Meadows, where both were unseeded teenagers.
What is Leylah Fernandez’s biggest win of the season? Fernandez secured a hard-fought victory over Elena Rybakina in the Washington, D.C. semifinals, marking her first final appearance in over a year.
More to come…
