Preview: Washington Open: Leylah Fernandez vs. Anna Kalinskaya - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Anna Kalinskaya will face Leylah Fernandez in the Washington DC Open final on Sunday for her first singles title.

The Russian defeated Emma Raducanu in Saturday’s semi-final in straight sets, while Fernandez advanced after a three-hour marathon against Elena Rybakina to set up a second tour encounter with the world No. 48.

Match preview

Saturday was a tale of three tiebreaks as Fernandez denied Rybakina a title match in Washington, securing a turnaround 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 7-6(3) victory in three hours and 12 minutes.

Having lost the first-set shootout, the three-time WTA champion was one Rybakina service hold away from elimination, only for the Canadian to break when the Kazakhstani served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, and the 22-year-old levelled and clinched the decider.

As a result of that thrilling triumph, Fernandez has advanced to her first title match in a year since reaching the final in Eastbourne 13 months ago, when Daria Kasatkina defeated her.

Fresh off improving to 19-16 for the season, the world No. 36 will play for her 20th win to secure her first WTA title since claiming the crown in Hong Kong in October 2023.

That victory over Katerina Siniakova took three sets, and the battle-hardened Canadian, who has overcome Jessica Pegula and Rybakina in three sets, will back herself if Sunday's title match goes the distance.

Standing in Fernandez’s path is Kalinskaya, who denied the Canadian a shot at retribution against the woman who foiled her Grand Slam prospects in the 2021 US Open final.

A high-quality opening set went Kalinskaya’s way, and the Russian player notched the second despite both players struggling to hold serve before securing the vital break to seal another straight-set win.

Following Saturday's triumph, the 26-year-old advanced to the final, aiming to finally claim a maiden WTA crown on the singles circuit having notched four in doubles.

Kalinskaya has done her prospects no harm in Washington, claiming four wins without dropping a set, and she undeniably enters Sunday's decider as the fresher of the two women.

Having entered the Citi DC Open with a 1-4 record in her previous five, Kalinskaya has gained momentum in the United States to improve to 14-13 for the season, and pursues her 15th win to secure the biggest victory of her career.

Tournament so far

Leylah Fernandez:

First round: vs. Maya Joint 6-3 6-3

Second round: vs. Jessica Pegula 6-3 1-6 6-4

Quarter-finals: vs. Taylor Townsend 6-4 7-6(4)

Semi-finals: vs. Elena Rybakina 6-7(2) 7-6(3) 7-6(3)

Anna Kalinskaya:

First round: vs. Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2 6-3

Second round: vs. Magda Linette 6-4 6-0

Quarter-finals: vs. Clara Tauson 6-3 7-5

Semi-finals: vs. Emma Raducanu 6-4 6-3

Head To Head

Guadalajara (2021) - Round of 32: Fernandez 7-5 4-6 6-4

Fernandez defeated Kalinskaya in three close sets in their only encounter on the WTA Tour, which also took place on a hard court in Guadalajara four years ago.

Unlike her Russian opponent, who is 0-2 in finals, Fernandez has a 3-3 record in title matches, having won the titles in Monterrey (2021, 2022) and Hong Kong (2023) — each final was on hard courts.

Kalinskaya's title matches against Jasmine Paolini and Pegula came on hard courts and grass in Dubai and Berlin, respectively.

We say: Kalinskaya to win in two sets

While Kalinskaya has been on the receiving end of three-set defeats in previous title matches, the fresher Russian player is backed to be third-time lucky in DC by defeating Fernandez for the first singles crown of her career.