Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez rises to No. 23 after Ningbo final
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The gist
Canadian player Leylah Fernandez jumped seven spots to No.
The move is the biggest in the top 25 and follows her sixth career WTA singles title in Singapore.
Background
Leylah Fernandez is a 24-year-old Canadian player from Laval, Que., a 2021 US Open finalist who won the Singapore Tennis Open in late September. She then reached the final of the Ningbo Open in China, where she lost to world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, and the WTA rankings released the next day moved her up seven places. Rybakina, the defending Ningbo champion, took her tour-leading fourth title of the year.
How it unfolded
- late September 2026Fernandez won the Singapore Tennis Open, beating Talia Gibson 7-5, 6-0 in the final — described as her sixth WTA singles title and second at WTA 500 level, or her seventh career title and second of the season in other reports.
- Oct 21, 2026She beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 on Centre Court in Ningbo to reach the quarter-finals, where she was to face Ekaterina Alexandrova.
- Oct 22, 2026The win gave Fernandez her 15th WTA 500-level victory of the season, leading all players ahead of Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva on 14 each, per OptaAce.
- Oct 24, 2026Fernandez beat Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 7-5 in the Ningbo Open semifinal to reach the final.
- Oct 25, 2026She lost the Ningbo Open final 6-2, 6-2 to world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who saved all four break points she faced and won on her first match point.
- Oct 26, 2026The new WTA rankings moved Fernandez up seven spots to No. 23, the biggest jump among players in the top 25; Rybakina stayed No. 1 with 9,501 points.
Who’s saying what
- Player
- Fernandez said "it feels so good" about her recent form, and admitted she had not played her best tennis in the semifinal but was delighted with the result.
Still unverified
Reports differ on Fernandez's title count after Singapore: some describe it as her sixth WTA singles title and second at WTA 500 level, others as her seventh career title and second of the season.