Canada’s in-form Leylah Fernandez reaches Pan Pacific Open final in Tokyo

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez reached the Tokyo final with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova on Saturday, continuing her hot streak on the Asian swing.

The World No 23 won her first title of the season in Singapore last month and followed that up by reaching the final of last week’s Ningbo Open in China, where she lost to World No 1 Elena Rybakina.

Fernandez will face either Russia’s Diana Shnaider or Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova in the final of the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open on Sunday, as she aims for her seventh WTA Tour title.

Fernandez reached the semifinals when Rybakina withdrew from their match with a neck injury, a day after securing the year-end world No1 ranking.

Rakhimova, ranked 66th, was eliminated in qualifying in Tokyo but entered the main draw as a lucky loser and made it all the way to the semifinals.

She was attempting to reach her first final on the WTA Tour, but ran into a player in form in Fernandez, who hit nine aces.

The Canadian went a break down early in the first set but soon recovered with a break of her own, before tipping the balance her way.

Rakhimova also went a break up early in the second set, but Fernandez clawed her way back and took the match in just less than two hours.