Fernandez wins D.C. Open title in straight sets over Kalinskaya for biggest title of her career

Leylah Fernandez is firmly on the comeback trail, and she can forever cite the District as the place that rejuvenated her passion for tennis. 

There were moments, the Canadian conceded, that she considered not coming to the D.C. Open and taking a break after a second-round loss at Wimbledon.

“We did ask the questions … It’s tough to lose and going through that little rut,” she said, “but I just want to keep competing, keep playing, and … one of these days, results are going to come in.”

On a thick, sweltering and sticky Sunday afternoon, one of those results came in: Fernandez is now a WTA Tour 500-level champion for the first time. And she’s glad she chose to stick around the sport.

“I kept believing in it. But to happen so quickly, it feels very, very good,” Fernandez said. “I’m very happy that I decided, that [my team] decided to keep going in this crazy adventure and to never give up.”

Fernandez won 75% of her first serve points while limiting Anna Kalinskaya in the same department to breeze to her fourth career singles title, 6-1, 6-2.

“The match was very solid from my part. I was very happy 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.”

Both unseeded players were playing in their first Washington final. For Kalinskaya, who hadn’t dropped a set the entire week, it would have been her first career title and fourth-straight win over a top 50 ranked player.

But Fernandez, who since an upstart appearance as a 19-year-old in the 2021 U.S. Open final had been seeking a more consistent level in the top 30, will rise 12 spots to No. 24 in the newest rankings ahead of her hometown National Bank Open in Montreal this week.

“This tournament in Washington is going to give me a lot of confidence coming in, but then I also know that a lot of players are going to be like, okay, we’re going to have to keep an eye on her now,” Fernandez said.

In the first set, Fernandez initially broke Kalinskaya’s serve in the fourth game, winning four consecutive points down love-15 to go up 3-1. She held at love to consolidate the break.

Two games later, Kalinskaya again won the first point of her service game, and again Fernandez broke her to take a commanding 5-1 lead before closing out the set on her serve.

Kalinskaya had won 73% of her first serve points all tournament, but was only successful 53.8% of the time in the first set of the final and 61.5% for the match.

“My intention was actually to be more offensive than her, but I think at the same time, I like long rallies. So that kind of helped me to settle in,” Fernandez said. “I knew she was going to be offensive from the get-go, so I had to counterattack as quickly as possible and then get it to the front foot once I had the opportunities.”

On Kalinsaya’s serve tied at 1-all in the second set, Fernandez won the first two points before breaking the Russian for the third time in the match. Kalinskaya was still successful on her first serves, but the longer Fernandez could extend the point, the advantage would tilt to her side and force Kalinskaya into unforced errors.

“I was just glad I was able to take advantage of certain balls she gave me in certain moments,” Fernandez said. “Balls were going in for me today. I know a couple of shots that I hit, I was even surprised that it went in.”

Kalinskaya had won a tournament-best 50% of her return games — 19 of 38. In the final, she was shut out there and only generated one break point opportunity.

Another break two games later, with Fernandez trapping Kalinskaya at the baseline before charging the net to execute a drop shot, allowed her to cruise to the biggest title of her career.

“I have gone through so many different challenges this week,” said Fernandez, who beat the No.1 and No. 3 seeds en route to the title. “I think it just has 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 anything.”

In the D.C. men’s final, another three-hour battle was going No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s way in the third set against No. 7 Alex de Minaur.

The Spaniard, who had to knock off top seed Taylor Fritz and No. 4 Ben Shelton in consecutive matches that stretched past midnight to get to the final, used his trademark defense to save five of nine break points on his own serve. 

But in a wild, back-and-forth third set that Davidovich Fokina led 4-1 and featured a 9-minute game with three championship points for him on de Minaur’s serve eventually went to a tiebreak. 

That’s where de Minaur’s serve was the difference in a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3) win, closing the match win on an ace. The title is the Australian’s 10th of his career, third at the 500 level, and first since last June. He will be back in the top 10 in the latest ATP rankings, while Davidovich Fokina, still seeking his maiden ATP title, will crack the top 20 for the first time in his career.