Leylah Fernandez has clinched her fourth career WTA title by winning the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington. The Canadian defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in Sunday’s final, sealing the biggest victory of her career, as it marks her first WTA 500-level tournament trophy.

Road to the Final

Fernandez had some really notable names on her path during the run to the title. She started with a straight-sets victory against one of the most promising youngsters in the field - Maya Joint. The next match brought the biggest challenge of the tournament, as she faced world No. 4 and top seed Jessica Pegula. The Canadian delivered a major upset with a 7-5 win in the deciding set.

After a straightforward win over Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, the most memorable match of the tournament followed as Fernandez faced Elena Rybakina in the semifinals.

It was a serving fest from both sides, with Rybakina winning the first set in a tiebreak without facing a single breakpoint. The Kazakh, a heavy favorite with pre-match odds of 1.26, gained a break in the second set and served for the match at 5-4. But Fernandez managed to break Rybakina - the only break in the entire match - and that moment proved to be pivotal not just for the evening but for the whole tournament.

She went on to win the second-set tiebreak 7-3 and forced a decider, which played out similarly to the opening set - no break threats and another tiebreak. This time, Fernandez thrived once again, moving into the final after about 3.5 hours of intense battle. Rybakina will surely feel disappointed, knowing she was close to victory in the second set and had played the cleaner match until the tenth game, which turned the tide of the event.

Kalinskaya’s easier but efficient route

Kalinskaya had a relatively open path to the final. The highest-ranked opponent she faced was world No. 19 Clara Tauson, while Emma Raducanu - whom she faced in the semifinals - was the only one rated as the favorite against her.

Kalinskaya made the most of her draw, advancing to the final with four consecutive straight-sets wins. On paper, that might have given her an edge in terms of freshness, especially after Fernandez’s marathon semifinal, but as Sunday proved - it wasn’t the case.

Fernandez’s lethality on Pressure Points in the final

The final was a one-sided affair in both scoreline and duration, with Fernandez winning in just 69 minutes. Kalinskaya looked overwhelmed from the start, though the stats offer an interesting contrast to the result. Fernandez created 12 pressure points on return, while Kalinskaya actually created 14.

The difference? Efficiency. Kalinskaya won just 4 out of 12 pressure points on her own serve, failing to capitalize on the key moments. On the other side of the net, Fernandez handled pressure impeccably, saving 12 of 14 pressure points, including both breakpoints - keeping her serve spotless throughout the match. The defeat in Sunday's final means that Kalinskaya still waits for her maiden WTA title after losing all of her 4 finals reached out so far.

Ranking Movements

Leylah Fernandez rises to No. 24 in the WTA rankings, climbing 12 spots following her title run in Washington. Kalinskaya jumps 17 places to reach No. 31. Semifinalist Emma Raducanu moves up from No. 46 to No. 33, while Taylor Townsend climbs 22 spots to No. 75 after her quarterfinal appearance, which began in the qualifiers.

Townsend also won the doubles title alongside Shuai Zhang, a result that propels her to the No. 1 spot in the doubles rankings - the first time in her career she has achieved that milestone.