Leylah Fernandez won her first title of the 2025 season at the Citi Open on July 27 against Anna Kalinskaya. Her triumph garnered the attention of several top-notch players from the tennis world, including Coco Gauff, the Bryan brothers, and more.
After besting athletes like Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and more, Fernandez reached the final round, where she locked horns with Anna Kalinskaya. She produced a dominant display, registering a 6-1, 6-2 win over the Russian, and concluded the one-sided showdown in 1 hour 10 minutes.
Following this feat, Fernandez shared a bunch of pictures from the tournament on her Instagram handle, showcasing her winning moments. She also penned an emotional note in the post’s caption, reflecting on her first WTA 500-level win and extending her gratitude toward her family and team.
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"First 500!!! 🎉🎉 Thank you to my family and team for all the support and love, through the good and the bad. This trophy is dedicated to my mom, older sister and Abdul. You have fought and still fighting every day for the past few years. You showed me on how to be resilient and have a never quit attitude. Also, thank you to my coach who hasn’t given up on me. You stuck with me through the bad moments and continued to work. But before you were my coach, you are my dad," wrote Leylah Fernandez.
This post garnered the attention of several tennis players, and one of them was Gauff, who celebrated the Canadian's win in the comment section of the post. She wrote:
"Congratulations!!"
Following her, another player, Bob Bryan, wrote a sweet comment that read:
"Great win, Leylah!🔥🙌🏼🏆"
Along with them, the Colombian tennis player Camila Osorio also lauded Fernandez for her win, writing:
"Felicidades ❤️🏆🔥"
"Congrats 👏"
The Canadian will next compete at the National Bank Open, where she will square off against Maya Joint in the first round of the tournament on July 29, 2025.
Leylah Fernandez opened up about her season before winning the Citi Open title
Leylah Fernandez sat for a conversation in the press conference ahead of her campaign at the Canadian Open, where she made an honest admission about her 2025 season ahead of winning the Citi Open. She said that her season wasn't that great, as she did not win any title or even reach the semifinals of any tournaments of the 2025 season.
"You can be honest. You can say the rest of the year hasn't been great (laughing). It's been pretty sh*t, to be honest (laughing)," said Leylah Fernandez, via ASAP Sports.
Making her feelings known about her performance at the Citi Open, and sharing that the good environment helped her a lot during the tournament, Fernandez said:
"I guess in Washington it's been just a good week overall. I've been working very hard for a long time. You know, it started with just good environment, good vibes with the team members, having dinner with the other Canadian girls that were at the tournament.
"So it was always good environment from the beginning. Then on court I was just enjoying myself a lot more, and I was able to play well in front of a big crowd. So, yeah, I guess everything just clicked in that week, and hopefully continues on for Montreal."
Leylah Fernandez opened her 2025 season by competing at the Adelaide International, where she fell short of advancing further than the third round.
