Mary Altaffer/The Canadian Press
Leylah Fernandez rallied from a set down to defeat Katerina Siniakova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and win the Hong Kong Open for her first title in 19 months.
It is the third title of the 21-year-old Canadian’s career and first since winning at Monterrey in March 2022. After the win, she will also move back inside the top 50 in the rankings next week.
“We had a very, very hard past couple of years,” Fernandez, of Laval, Que., said. “My family, my parents, my coach, and my performance coach stayed by my side.”
“They motivated me to keep going and the hard work is paying off. Hopefully, we can keep going this way.”
It was a nervy start by Fernandez and No. 85-ranked Siniakova earned two breaks to claim the opening set.
Fernandez, ranked 60th, responded by building a 4-0 lead in the second before the Czech player took an off-court medical timeout and returned with her left upper leg taped.
The break appeared to help Siniakova as she worked her way back to 3-4 but Fernandez saved six break points in a 10-deuce game to hold and then took the set in her next service game.
“I knew it was a crucial game,” Fernandez said. “Katerina was playing an incredible match, hitting winners from the backhand, forehand, left, right, and centre. It was a tough game for me, especially emotionally, to control myself. At one point I just had to focus on the ball.”
After exchanging breaks through the deciding set, Fernandez made the decisive break to lead 5-4 and then held her nerve to serve out the win in 2 hours and 49 minutes.
Dabrowski, Routliffe win doubles title at Zhengzhou Open
Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand cruised to the women’s doubles title with a straight-set victory over the Japanese duo of Shuko Aoyama and Eno Shibahara at the Zhengzhou Open on Sunday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe, who claimed the U.S. Open doubles title last month, dropped just 10 points on serve and saved five of six break points while breaking four times in a 6-2, 6-4 win at the WTA 500 event.
Since teaming up in August, Dabrowski and Routliffe, who was born in Auckland but grew up in Ontario and previously represented Canada, have reached three finals, winning twice, and have moved into a qualifying place for the WTA Finals with just one more week of tournaments remaining to qualify.
The duo can clinch their spot at the WTA Finals this coming week in Nanchang.
Dabrowski has now won 15 WTA Tour doubles titles in her career, while Routliffe has won five.
Pegula wins Korea Open
SEOUL — Jessica Pegula beat Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Korea Open on Sunday for the fourth title of her career. The top-seeded Pegula dropped only one set through the tournament and becomes the first American since Venus Williams in 2007 to win the title in Seoul.
Hurkacz takes Shanghai Masters
SHANGHAI — Hubert Hurkacz claimed his second Masters title in a dramatic final at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, saving a match point before prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8) against Andrey Rublev. The 26-year-old has now won seven tour-level titles, with his triumph in Shanghai joining his Masters title win at Miami in 2021.