Leylah Fernandez lands her fifth title in Osaka

Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez clinched her fifth career title Sunday at the WTA 250 Osaka Open, defeating Czech teen Tereza Valentova in a hard-fought three-set final: 6-0, 5-7, 6-3.

Fernandez, the tournament’s No. 4 seed and currently ranked No. 27 in the world, came out blazing on the hard courts of Osaka’s Utsubo Tennis Center. She won the first eight points of the match and stormed through the opening set in just 29 minutes, breaking Valentova’s serve three times and saving three break points in a tense third game.

Valentova fights back

But the 18-year-old Czech, playing in her first WTA final, showed remarkable resilience. Despite dropping her serve at love early in the second set, Valentova clawed her way back with a counter-break and then broke Fernandez twice more between the ninth and eleventh games. She closed out the set 7-5, leveling the match and injecting drama into the final

The third set turned into a nail-biting battle, with 13 break opportunities—10 of them for Fernandez. The Canadian struggled to convert but ultimately capitalized on two key chances to seal the match 6-3 after 2 hours and 11 minutes of play.

This victory marks Fernandez’s second title of the year, following her win in Washington, D.C. this past July. All five of her career titles have come on hard courts, including previous triumphs in Hong Kong (2023) and Monterrey (2021 and 2022).

Fernandez d. Valentova 6-0 5-7 6-3 in Osaka

Leylah wins her 5th title

Her game is just beautiful when it’s on… taking the ball early & opening up the court with smart angles

✅2nd title of 2025
✅30th win of 2025

Looking to finish the year with that vintage Leylah fire

🇨🇦❤️ pic.twitter.com/3NEW2IBEkW

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 19, 2025

Moving up the WTA ranking

With this win, Fernandez is projected to rise three spots in the WTA rankings, reclaiming her position as the top Canadian player. She’ll move up to No. 21, overtaking Victoria Mboko.

The Osaka Open win not only adds another trophy to Fernandez’s growing collection but also signals her growing consistency on tour. After tough three-set losses to Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka in China earlier this fall, Fernandez’s ability to bounce back and dominate in Japan shows she’s ready to contend with the sport’s elite.