"I was cramping and back in the locker room, I told her ‘You killed me.": Leylah Fernandez opens up after ending two-year title draught with DC Open triumph

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez secured one of the biggest wins of her career as she defeated Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2 to lift the DC Open title in Washington. It was only her fourth singles WTA title in her career and the first since 2023.

The victory was a special one on so many levels for a player who grabbed all the headlines in 2021 after cementing a spot in the final of the US Open at the age of just 18. On her way to lifting her first title in 2025, Fernandez defeated the number-one Jessica Pegula in the round of 16 in straight sets and also got the better of the number-three-seed and one-time Grand Slam winner Elena Rybakina in the semifinal, which lasted over three hours. Despite an impressive run in the US capital city, Fernandez has won just 16 out of 33 matches at the highest level this year. The 22-year-old will hope that a rather surprising win in the competition will propel her to achieve impressive results in the near future as well.

Fernandez spoke to WTA’s official website after securing the triumph and talked in detail about what the victory meant to her. Fernandez stated that winning a title after a gap of two years is ‘great’ on so many levels for her. She also highlighted the ups and downs she had to go through over the last 24 months, which makes the title in Washington even more special.

“It’s been a long, long couple of years with a lot of ups and downs,” she said. “Getting this title is great not only for confidence and self-belief, but also for the whole team and family. The past couple of years, we’ve gone through a lot of tough moments. This trophy just indicates how much they have fought. And it shows me if they can fight through their difficulties, I can do it in a little tennis match with a tennis ball coming back at me. That’s the goal and the mentality.

Fernandez then talked about the importance of the top two players in the competition leading up to her title in Washington. Fernandez stated that it was ‘very satisfying’ to beat players like Pegula and Rybakina. Fernandez also highlighted how difficult it was to beat her ‘friend’ Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinal.

“It’s very satisfying [to beat Pegula and Rybakina],” she said. We’ve gone through some very tough opponents, from the first round all the way through to the final. Maya [Joint], she’s a tough opponent and she’s had an amazing year. Playing Jess in Washington, it’s never easy. She loves hard courts, had some great results here. She wasn’t going to give me anything. Taylor [Townsend] was another battle, physically and mentally. I’ve played doubles with her and we’re pretty good friends, so setting that aside wasn’t easy. I was cramping and back in the locker room, I told her ‘You killed me.’ It wasn’t going to be an easy tournament from the get-go, so to get through all those tough opponents and challenges was great.”

Ever since playing in the 2021 US Open final, Fernandez has had a tough ride at the Grand Slams, where she has only managed to reach the quarterfinals on one occasion. Fernandez, during the discussion, stated that she believes winning in Washington will help her provide a fitting response to people who called her a ‘fluke’ for her success in the fourth Grand Slam four years ago.

“It definitely helps a little bit,” said Fernandez. “It gives us some good momentum going into bigger tournaments. To play against the big players here in Washington -- it wasn’t an easy draw -- it’s a good feeling to get my first 500. And I hope -- hope -- I can continue with that momentum the next few tournaments, but also stay grounded and not forget there’s a new beast every week. That we’ve just got to start from zero.”