Leylah Fernandez Bends Anna Kalinskaya To Win The Largest Title In A Career

JAKARTA Leylah Fernandez won the biggest victory in his career at the 2025 Washington Open by beating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1 and 6-2 in the final on Sunday, July 27, 2025.

After the match was postponed due to the rain that flushed the United States capital, the Canadian overtook extreme humidity to claim his first WTA 500 title in his inaugural final after more than a year.

"I was very happy with the way I was overcoming nervousness. I was really very nervous at first, but I was able to play well at important points," Leylah said, quoted by the WTA website.

Leylah took 69 minutes to close the final and became the first Canadian women to win the title in Washington.

This victory also ended the Leylah trophy drought. The tennis player who became the finalist of the US Open 2021 last time he lifted the championship trophy in Hong Kong in October 2023.

He then played his final last year when he was runner-up on the WTA 500 Eastbourne grass field after losing against Daria Kasatkina.

Leylah played persistent throughout the week in Washington. He fought on the pitch for more than nine hours cumulatively to reach the final, including a 3 hour and 12 minute win over Elena Rybakina in the semifinals.

On the other hand, Kalinskaya did not lose a single set on his way to the third WTA single final in his career. Unfortunately, his efforts to find the first title in his career ended without power.

"I've gone through so many different challenges this week and I feel like this actually makes me stronger," said Leylah, who is currently 22 years old.