Laval's Leylah Fernandez will play for title in Hong Kong
Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns a shot to Ekaterina Alexandrova, of Russia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Leylah Fernandez advanced to her first final in 19 months after a 6-2, 7-5 victory over fifth-seeded Anna Blinkova at the Hong Kong Open.
The 21-year-old Canadian raced through the first set before No. 37 Blinkova improved in the second set. Fernandez found the match-clinching break in the 12th game to seal the match in 78 minutes and advance to Sunday's final against Katerina Siniakova.
"This match was extremely tough," Fernandez said. "Anna, she's a tremendous player, very powerful, and she's coming in with a lot of confidence. The first set I played well, the second set she started making more balls and being very aggressive. I just tried to stay calm. I remembered my coach's words to me: this is a battle, just enjoy it, have fun and put on a show for everyone."
Fernandez last played a final at Monterrey in March 2022, when she went on to win the title.
In the other semifinal, Siniakova eased past sixth-seeded Martina Trevisan 6-4, 6-2. Siniakova has four career titles, the most recent coming in July at Hamburg.
Fernandez beat Sinaikova in straight sets at the 2022 French Open in their only previous meeting.
This report by The Associated Press was first published on Oct. 14, 2023
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