Preview WTA Japan Open final: Leylah Fernandez meets teen sensation Tereza Valentova

The final of the WTA 250 Japan Open in Osaka is here, to be played at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open this Sunday in search of the tournament's new champion. Leylah Fernandez arrives at the final as the main favorite for the title, following the mass exit of seeded players in the early rounds, including the withdrawal of local star Naomi Osaka (first seed).

She will face one of the new names appearing on the WTA Tour: 18-year-old Tereza Valentova, a Czech player and former Roland Garros junior champion who will play the first final of her career. It will be the first match between the two as they compete for a late-season title.

Leylah Fernandez had a great week to reach her second final of the season. The 4th seed capitalized on her favorite status along the way, defeating Hailey Baptiste, Dalma Galfi, and Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets, before surviving a tough three-set battle against Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals.

Against the Romanian, Fernandez had to come back from 1-3 down in the third set, taking 5 of the last 6 games played—including three consecutive breaks—to secure a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory after two hours of struggle. Since returning to hardcourts, Fernandez has a 13-6 record and already lifted the DC Open title at the end of July.

The former US Open runner-up has the opportunity to add a new title to her career and continue climbing the rankings. If she wins the title, she will reach World No. 22 and will return to being the Canadian No. 1—surpassing Victoria Mboko, the Montreal Open champion a couple of months ago. This could be her best ranking in over 3 years, since she was inside the Top-15, thanks in part to the good amount of points she carried from her US Open final run.

Tereza Valentova is quickly making a name for herself among the best at just 18 years old, after reaching her first WTA-level final. The 2024 Roland Garros junior champion (singles and doubles) played her first professional tournament a few months ago at the Prague Open (where she received a wildcard), reaching the semifinals. Shortly after, she made her Grand Slam debut by successfully qualifying for and reaching the second round of the US Open.

This time at the Japan Open, she had to go through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw, defeating notable names along the way: Alexandra Eala (6-1, 6-2), Elise Mertens (6-4, 6-1), Olga Danilovic (4-6, 6-2, 6-3), and Jaqueline Cristian (6-7, 6-4, 6-3). The player born in 2007 started the year ranked No. 242, and her great year already has her in a comfortable position at World No. 58 in the live rankings—which guarantees her direct entry into the 2026 Australian Open main draw, her first direct qualification to a Grand Slam main draw.

Valentova is starting to earn a name among the best, currently standing as the third player under 19 years old in the Top-150—behind Mirra Andreeva (18 y/o, No. 9) and Iva Jovic (17 y/o, No. 33). The Czech player can still climb to No. 52 if she manages to win the title.