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CTV News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Fernandez wins D.C. Open fuelled by Shake Shack, de Minaur takes men's title
Jessica Pegula, bottom, serves to Leylah Fernandez, top, of Canada, during a match at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) WASHINGTON — The biggest tennis title of Leylah Fernandez's career arrived at the D.C. Open on Sunday with the help of a terrific backhand, some superb returning — and energy courtesy of Shake Shack's burgers and fries. The left-handed Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Laval, Que., who is ranked 36th, wrapped up a big week of tight matches with a lopsided victory, defeating Anna Kalinskaya of Russia 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Fernandez earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 U.S. Open, making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in Saturday's semifinals. The men's trophy was won by No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur, who earned his 10th ATP title — eighth on hard courts — by saving three championship points in a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory over No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. De Minaur, a 26-year-old Australian, was the runner-up in Washington in 2018. Davidovich Fokina dropped to 0-4 for his career in finals despite leading 5-2 in the third set Sunday and repeatedly standing just a single point from victory. This was his second time frittering away multiple match points in a tournament final this year. He entered the week at No. 26 and will make his debut in the top 20 on Monday; he remains the highest-ranked man without a title. Fernandez took quite a journey through the women's bracket. She needed 2 hours, 19 minutes to oust No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula — last year's U.S. Open runner-up — in three sets in the second round, then 2 hours, 20 minutes to beat Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, and 3 hours, 12 minutes for a three-tiebreaker victory over No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the 2022 Wimbledon champion — in the semifinals. After each of the last two, Fernandez and her father — who is also her coach — opted for Shake Shack. 'We got burgers, hotdog, cheese fries — everything that an athlete should not eat before a match, but it did the trick,' Fernandez said about what she ate after the Townsend match. 'It gave me the right nutrients to recover from the cramps and get ready for the next round.' Following the Rybakina marathon, Fernandez said she and her father 'were messaging, and I was, like, 'OK, what do you want to eat tonight?' We both answered at the same time: burgers. … That was kind of my diet for the whole week.' Sure worked: This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. Plus, she arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. 'I have gone through so many different challenges this week. It just has made me stronger, in a way, that if I can get through this week — through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity — I can get through anything,' Fernandez said. 'So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits, but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments.' Against the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya, who hadn't dropped a set until Sunday, Fernandez saved the only break point she faced while breaking four times. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. Another: Kalinskaya — a 26-year-oldwho is 0-3 in tour finals — finished with 24 unforced errors and just nine winners. 'Amazing fight this week,' Kalinskaya told Fernandez. 'You truly deserve it.' ___ Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fernandez wins DC Open fuelled by Shake Shack, de Minaur takes men's title
WASHINGTON (AP) — The biggest tennis title of Leylah Fernandez's career arrived at the D.C. Open on Sunday with the help of a terrific backhand, some superb returning — and energy courtesy of Shake Shack's burgers and fries. The left-handed Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Laval, Que., who is ranked 36th, wrapped up a big week of tight matches with a lopsided victory, defeating Anna Kalinskaya of Russia 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Fernandez earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 U.S. Open, making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in Saturday's semifinals. The men's trophy was won by No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur, who earned his 10th ATP title — eighth on hard courts — by saving three championship points in a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory over No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. De Minaur, a 26-year-old Australian, was the runner-up in Washington in 2018. Davidovich Fokina dropped to 0-4 for his career in finals despite leading 5-2 in the third set Sunday and repeatedly standing just a single point from victory. This was his second time frittering away multiple match points in a tournament final this year. He entered the week at No. 26 and will make his debut in the top 20 on Monday; he remains the highest-ranked man without a title. Fernandez took quite a journey through the women's bracket. She needed 2 hours, 19 minutes to oust No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula — last year's U.S. Open runner-up — in three sets in the second round, then 2 hours, 20 minutes to beat Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, and 3 hours, 12 minutes for a three-tiebreaker victory over No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the 2022 Wimbledon champion — in the semifinals. After each of the last two, Fernandez and her father — who is also her coach — opted for Shake Shack. 'We got burgers, hotdog, cheese fries — everything that an athlete should not eat before a match, but it did the trick,' Fernandez said about what she ate after the Townsend match. 'It gave me the right nutrients to recover from the cramps and get ready for the next round.' Following the Rybakina marathon, Fernandez said she and her father 'were messaging, and I was, like, 'OK, what do you want to eat tonight?' We both answered at the same time: burgers. … That was kind of my diet for the whole week.' Sure worked: This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. Plus, she arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. 'I have gone through so many different challenges this week. It just has made me stronger, in a way, that if I can get through this week — through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity — I can get through anything,' Fernandez said. 'So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits, but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments.' Against the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya, who hadn't dropped a set until Sunday, Fernandez saved the only break point she faced while breaking four times. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. Another: Kalinskaya — a 26-year-oldwho is 0-3 in tour finals — finished with 24 unforced errors and just nine winners. 'Amazing fight this week,' Kalinskaya told Fernandez. 'You truly deserve it.' ___ AP tennis: Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
Associated Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Leylah Fernandez beats Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 to win the DC Open for her biggest title
WASHINGTON (AP) — Leylah Fernandez collected the biggest title of her career at the D.C. Open with her most lopsided victory of the tournament, defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final on Sunday. The left-handed Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada who is ranked 36th, earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 U.S. Open, making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals Saturday. Until Sunday, the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya had not dropped a set all week. However, she wasn't able to keep up with Fernandez, who saved the only two break points she faced while taking four of Kalinskaya's service games in a match that lasted 1 hour, 10 minutes. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points in the match when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. She arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. With a mix of baseline excellence and strong net play, Fernandez eliminated top-seeded Jessica Pegula — the U.S. Open runner-up last year — and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the Wimbledon champion in 2022 — on the way to the final. The win against Rybakina in Saturday's semifinals took three tiebreakers and more than three hours to decide. There was no such drama against Kalinskaya, a 26-year-old Russian who fell to 0-3 in tour-level finals. She lost to Jasmine Paolini in Dubai and to Pegula in Berlin last year. The men's final scheduled for later Sunday was No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur against No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated No. 1 Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Ben Shelton in the semifinals. ___ AP tennis:
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Leylah Fernandez beats Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 to win the DC Open for her biggest title
Leylah Fernandez collected the biggest title of her career at the D.C. Open with her most lopsided victory of the tournament, defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final on Sunday. The left-handed Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada who is ranked 36th, earned her fourth singles trophy–all have come at hard-court tournaments–and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 US Open, making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals Saturday. Until Sunday, the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya had not dropped a set all week. However, she wasn't able to keep up with Fernandez, who saved the only two break points she faced while taking four of Kalinskaya's service games in a match that lasted 1 hour 10 minutes. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points in the match when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. She arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. With a mix of baseline excellence and strong net play, Fernandez eliminated top-seeded Jessica Pegula–the US Open runner-up last year–and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina–the Wimbledon champion in 2022–on the way to the final. The win against Rybakina in Saturday's semifinals took three tiebreakers and more than three hours to decide. There was no such drama against Kalinskaya, a 26-year-old Russian who fell to 0-3 in tour-level finals. She lost to Jasmine Paolini in Dubai and to Pegula in Berlin last year. The men's final scheduled for later Sunday was No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur against No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated No. 1 Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Naomi Osaka splits with coach Patrick Mouratoglou as tennis hard-court swing begins
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after just shy of a year together. Osaka confirmed the split on social media ahead of the WTA 1,000 Canadian Open in Montreal, as the tennis shift to hard courts, where she is most comfortable, kicks into gear. 'Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I've ever met and I'm sure I'll see you around,' she wrote in a statement. Mouratoglou did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Osaka, 27, started working with Mouratoglou, who most famously coached Serena Williams, following the 2024 U.S. Open. Their time together has been an up-and-down sequence of promising signs and frustrations with either injury or close-run defeats for Osaka, who said that Mouratoglou would be left wondering 'what the f— this is ' after a tight first-round loss to Paula Badosa at this year's French Open. Ahead of that tournament, Osaka played a second-tier tournament in Saint Malo, France, after an early loss at the Italian Open in Rome. She won the WTA 125 event in France. reflecting afterward how missing matches due to physical issues — and three frustrating retirements with injury during promising contests in Beijing, Auckland and Melbourne in late 2024 and early 2025 — had left her lacking reps in tight moments. But at the French Open against Badosa, and then at Wimbledon against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Osaka went through the kind of encouraging but ultimately dispiriting match that has marked much of her time with Mouratoglou. Prior to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Emma Raducanu at the D.C. Open that proved to be their last match together, six of Osaka's last seven matches had come in three sets, with all of the deciders ending 6-4 against or in a tiebreak. Following the defeat to Pavlyuchenkova, Osaka said that her response to it was entirely removed from her emotions in Paris, where she had to briefly leave the interview room in tears. 'In Paris, I was very emotional. Now I don't feel anything, so I guess I'd prefer to feel nothing than everything,' she said in London. Osaka, who is currently world No. 51, will play Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault Monday in her first match at the Canadian Open. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Sports Business, Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
