Leylah Fernandez advanced to the semifinals of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka on Friday, beating Rebecca Sramkova 7-6 (2), 6-3 in 1 hour 34 minutes. The win marked her third straight-sets victory of the week and improved her season record to 23-3 when she takes the opening set.
Match Highlights and Performance
The No. 4 seed trailed by a break late in the first set, was broken at 5-5, and immediately broke back to force a tiebreak, which she controlled. She fell behind 0-2 in the second set but surged with four games in a row, closing the match after Sramkova saved three match points at 5-3.
Both players were strong on serve, with Fernandez edging total points 52-49. In the first set, she landed 68% of first serves and won 67% of those points, adding 54% success on second serve. She saved a break point in the opening game and did not face another until 5-5; in the second set, she faced only one more break point. Sramkova put 53% of first serves in during the first set, winning 72% of those points and 50% behind her second serve.
Fernandez has now won the first set in five of her past six matches, including all three in Osaka, and has closed 21 of her 23 such wins this season in straight sets. The result evens her head-to-head with Sramkova at 1-1; Sramkova had beaten her in Mexico in August.
Next, Fernandez will meet either Viktorija Golubic or Sorana Cirstea. She has defeated Golubic twice before, in Birmingham last year and in Monterrey in 2021. A semifinal win would send Fernandez to her second final of the season and her first since lifting the trophy in Washington, D.C., in July. With her remarkable performance, Fernandez continues to solidify her status as a formidable contender in women’s tennis.