Published October 14, 2023, 3:41 PM ET
Leylah Fernandez of Canada hits back Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Tuesday, August 29, 2023, in New York. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)
HONG KONG – Leylah Fernandez reached her first final in 19 months after a 6-2, 7-5 victory over fifth seed Anna Blinkova on Saturday at the Hong Kong Open.
The 21-year-old from Laval, Que., raced through the first set before No. 37 Blinkova improved in the second set.
The Canadian made the decisive break in the 12th game, sealed the game in 78 minutes and moved into Sunday’s final against Katerina Siniakova.
“This game was extremely tough,” Fernandez said. “Anna, she is a great player, very powerful and she comes into the game with a lot of confidence. I played well in the first set, but in the second set she started to play more balls and was very aggressive.”
“I just tried to stay calm. I remembered my coach’s words: This is a fight, just enjoy it, have fun and put on a show for everyone.”
Fernandez, who entered the tournament ranked No. 60 in the world, will aim for her third WTA title when she plays in the fifth final of her career.
The last one took place in March 2022 when she defended her title in Monterrey.
In the other semifinal, Siniakova beat sixth-seeded Martina Trevisan 6-4, 6-2. Siniakova has won four titles in her career, the last coming in Hamburg in July.
Fernandez defeated Sinaikova in straight sets at the 2022 French Open in their only previous meeting.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.