Leylah Fernandez continues incredible form, set to face Diana Shnaider in Pan Pacific Open Final

Saturday, 31 October 2026 at 09:05

Leylah Fernandez hitting backhand at US Open.

Leylah Fernandez, no doubt, will be hoping the season doesn't end as quickly as it is, as the former US Open finalist will be the favourite to scoop another title on Sunday at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo after reaching the final.

The World Number 23 won her first title of the season in Singapore last month and followed that up by reaching the final of last week's Ningbo Open in China, where she lost to World Number One, Elena Rybakina.

Fernandez reached the quarter-finals when Elena Rybakina withdrew from their highly anticipated tie due to a neck injury, the day after securing the year-end World Number One spot.

She faced Kamilla Rakhimova in the semi-finals, who was eliminated in qualifying but took her chance as the epitome of a lucky loser heading all the way to the semi-finals as a result. Rakhimova was attempting to reach her first final on the WTA Tour, but she ran into Fernandez, the all-answers who hit nine aces.

Leylah Fernandez keeps having the answers.

The Canadian went a breakdown early in the first set but soon recovered to break back, tipping the balance in her direction. Rakhimova went on a break up early in the second set, but again Fernandez came back clawing her way back in again and took the win in just under two hours.

Shnaider also came from a breakdown in her tie as she saw off Mia Pohankova in a 6-4, 7-6 win. The second set in particular was most of the match in a bit of a war of attrition as Shnaider weathered it to win 7-6 in the second, sealing the victory in a tie-break.

She is also having a superb late-season surge like Fernandez, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Given title winning form, Fernandez has to be slightly favoured. But Shnaider is on the verge of the top 10 again and has been one of the stealth standout stars of the year.

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She, like Fernandez, also has form for this time of year, as in previous years she has been in form at the end of the season, not the start, and going into Hong Kong again, both Fernandez and Shnaider are the standout stars. Only really Zheng Qinwen is missing from the conversation, as are players who made a great late impression in years past.

But one of them will scoop another title on Sunday, and it will be either Fernandez or Shnaider.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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