23-year-old Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez continues her impressive 2025 season with her second WTA title victory this year at the Japan Open.
Fernandez also won the Mubadala Citi Open in Washington, DC over the summer and famously paired with tennis legend Venus Williams in the US Open doubles.
The lefty Fernandez defeated the rising Czech teenager Tereza Valentova in Osaka in three sets.
Title No. 5 👏
Leylah Fernandez beat Tereza Valentova 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 in Osaka 🏆 #JapanOpen pic.twitter.com/oQPWVeuqC6
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 19, 2025
This is her fifth career WTA singles title.
Leylah Fernandez Leads A Talented Canadian Contingent
Fernandez has been the most consistent and injury free, but she has talented Canadian compatriots.
They include 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu who has been riddled with injuries over the years and has never been healthy enough for a long period of time to regain her form.
Victoria Mboko is the Canadian teenager who entered the scene in a big way in 2025 winning her home tournament with an impressive performance over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Andreescu at 25 is the elder statesman of the bunch. She has also put herself out there to mentor and assist her Canadian compatriots in whatever way possible as they learned the ropes of the WTA Tour.
An example of this is Andreescu teaming up with Mboko in doubles at this week’s Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Before they play doubles together, they will pitted against each other in a first round singles match.
WTA 500 TOKYO: MONDAY SCHEDULE
At approx 3 a.m. EDT Canada
#23 Victoria Mboko, 19, vs #172 Bianca Andreescu, 25.
DRAW:
#22 Leylah Fernandez vs #54 Maria Sakkari.
winner vs #7 (2)Elena Rybakina. pic.twitter.com/EBcEuzr7QY— Tom Tebbutt (@tomtebbutt) October 19, 2025
Leylah Fernandez is playing singles with a first round match against Maria Sakkari. The winner plays Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16 who must win two matches in Tokyo to qualify for the 2025 WTA Finals. If she fails to do so, Mirra Andreeva will qualify for the last spot.
