Leylah Fernandez has performed some of the best tennis of her profession at the finish of the 2026 WTA season.
The Canadian star won the Singapore Tennis Open proper after the US Open, before reaching two finals in Ningbo and Tokyo. Fernandez now sits 18th in the WTA rankings, 5 spots off her career-high.
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Former world quantity one and a number of Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters has now delivered her verdict on Fernandez, highlighting the change she’s observed in the 24-year-old not too long ago.
Kim Clijsters observed Leylah Fernandez transferring nearer to the baseline as her type improved
“The first thing that stands out to me is her competitive mindset. What I admire a lot about her is how feisty she is and how she will compete for every shot. That is one of the reasons why she has been able to be competing, a few years ago, for a Grand Slam title,” said Clijsters during the newest episode of ‘Love All‘.
Leylah Fernandez’s post-US Open report (14-4)
|
Tournament |
Performance |
Match wins |
Defeat |
|
Singapore Tennis Open |
Champion |
5 (Kyoka Okamura, Alycia Parks, Mirra Andreeva, Maja Chwalinska, Talia Gibson) |
– |
|
China Open |
Second spherical |
0 |
Kamilla Rakhimova |
|
Wuhan Open |
Third spherical |
2 (Ekaterina Alexandrova, Shi Han) |
Jelena Ostapenko |
|
Ningbo Open |
Final |
4 (Elise Mertens, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Marie Bouzkova) |
Elena Rybakina |
|
Japan Open |
Final |
3 (Himeno Sakatsume, Elise Mertens, Kamilla Rakhimova) |
Diana Shnaider |
Leylah Fernandez’s post-US Open report
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“She has that fighting spirit that, when you drop your game a little bit, she is right there, like a little pit bull that keeps biting your ankle. I think when it comes to her on-court tactics, the way she is able to redirect the ball is something that is hard to play against when you stand across the net from her.
“I think she has moved up into the court. She is standing nearer to the baseline, which is a lot simpler said than executed, because you have to be fast enough and match enough to be ready to do that every shot.”
Clijsters continued, remembering an exhibition match she played against Fernandez in 2022. Clijsters defeated Fernandez 7-5 in Orlando, Florida.
“There are a few issues that I actually like about her. I performed her in an exhibition in Florida years in the past, after I retired, and I think she misses a little bit of energy to actually take over a rally,” she said.
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“Quite a bit of it is the same tempo, and she is so good at that, but to be ready to end off a rally or to be ready to hit a serve and then produce more energy on the second shot to put her opponent under stress more, it’s what she misses a little bit. That means that she has to work so laborious to win her matches.”
Fernandez is up to 18th in the world rankings following a strong set of results at the end of the year. She had been expected to play one final tournament in Hong Kong, but withdrew earlier this week.
Official WTA Rankings
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16. Naomi Osaka – 2,315 points
-
17. Alex Eala – 2,289 points
-
18. Leylah Fernandez – 2,201 points
-
19. Belinda Bencic – 2,168 points
-
20. Victoria Mboko – 2,143 points
Leylah Fernandez’s Grand Slam problem
Fernandez made headlines in 2021, reaching the US Open final where she lost to Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu. She returned to the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam a year later at Roland Garros, but has struggled ever since.
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The Canadian hasn’t reached the fourth round at any of her last 17 Grand Slam events. Fernandez lost in the first round six times, the second round seven times, and the third round four times.
Leylah Fernandez’s Grand Slam results since 2022 French Open
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First spherical defeats – 6
-
Second spherical defeats – 7
-
Third spherical defeats – 4
Only time will inform if Fernandez can carry the momentum from the finish of 2026 through to the 2027 season and the Australian Open to finish her concerning Grand Slam streak. The 2027 Australian Open begins on January 17.
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