WASHINGTON — Leylah Fernandez will be trying to win her first WTA title of the season, and Anna Kalinskaya will seek the first of her career when they meet each other in the final of the hard-court DC Open.
Fernandez, the runner-up at the 2021 US Open, hit 12 aces and picked up her second victory of the week against a top-20 opponent by beating 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) across 3 hours, 16 minutes in the semifinals Saturday.
Kalinskaya needed less than half as much time to eliminate Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-3 with the help of 14 backhand winners in the other women’s semifinal. It was Raducanu who defeated Fernandez for the championship at Flushing Meadows four years ago.
Both finalists are unseeded. Canada’s Fernandez, who is 22 years old, is ranked 36th; Russia’s Kalinskaya, 26, is ranked 48th.
Kalinskaya moved into her third tour-level final. She went 0-2 in title matches last season.
Fernandez, who got past top-seeded Jessica Pegula earlier in the week, owns three titles. Sunday’s matchup will be her seventh career final.
