Leylah Fernandez reveals she has had two dates with "a nice guy" and a love relationship is definitely a realistic option since they are "keeping in contact."
Just before kicking off her triumphant Washington, the 22-year-old said she wanted to have her first-ever date in Montreal and encouraged interested individuals to reach out to her. At the Canadian Open, the local star lost in the first round so she had lots of time to go out on a date.
After arriving at Cincinnati, Tennis Channel caught up with Fernandez. To no one's surprise, the 2021 US Open finalist was asked to issue an update on the dating matter. The world No. 24 proceeded to reveal that a couple of international guys were interested in flying out to Montreal to meet, but she didn't want that. Instead, she waited and hoped that a local would appear.
Fernandez: His first message caught my attention… Stalked him a bit and he's real
"So I was giving it one more day, and then I stumbled upon him, and his message kind of caught my attention," the 22-year-old said on Tennis Channel.
"When I asked him, 'Did you even see my video?' And he's like, 'No, I didn't.' His first message just kind of caught my attention, and then afterwards I stalked him to make sure that he's real. He's a real person, seemed like a nice guy, and then got a couple opinions from family, team members, to make sure that they were okay with it. There's been a second date, and we're keeping in contact, so we'll see."
During Washington, Fernandez jokingly but also seriously told guys not to be afraid of her dad because it wasn't true that he was "unwelcoming." Evidently, the Canadian's date passed the dad test and everything has gone well so far.
Meanwhile, Williams, who launched her comeback upsetting compatriot Peyton Stearns in Washington, DC, is 1-2 in her comeback and has shown enough quality to earn a US Open wild card if she wants one.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion, who has a US Open mixed doubles wild card with good friend Reilly Opelka, is living proof tennis is truly a lifetime sport. It would be a fitting way for the USTA to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Williams maiden US Open title with a singles wild cardâas well as an opportunity for Flushing Meadows fans to share the love with the four-time Olympic gold-medal champion.
Today, you may have expected Bouzas Maneiro to come out playing crosscourt corner to corner to challenge the veteranâs movement. Through the first six games she didnât do thatâinstead opting to try to tie the long-limbed Williams up with deep drives down the middle. That tact helped Bouzas Maneiro fire out to a 4-1 lead as Williams struggled to support her second serve.
Williams won only 8 of 29 second-serve points as Bouzas Maneiro broke six times, but when the five-time Wimbledon winner made her first serveâespecially on the deuce courtâshe was playing first-strike tennis.
Contesting her 11th Cincinnati Open, Williams showed her strong will and a stinging slider serve staging a three-game rally to level at 4-all.
All that good work dissipated when Williams sailed a backhand and Bouzas Maneiro earned her third break of the set for a 5-4 lead.
Still, Williams competed with deep desire. When the Spaniard tested the 45-year-old legendâs legs with a drop shot, Williams easily ran it down and swatted a forehand winner down the line for break point in the 10th game.
On the verge of breaking back, Williamsâ rust showed. She netted three three forehands in the next four points. On Bouzas Maneiroâs second set point, Williams netted a backhand as the Spaniard sealed the 41-minute opening set.
Bouzas Maneiro exploited a double fault breaking to start the second set and slid a serve down the T to go up 2-0.
At that point, it looked like the match could slip away. Williams had other ideas breaking back in the fourth game to level 2-all.
Though she lacks the fast first step and eye-popping closing speed of her prime, when Williams gets her body weight behind the ball she can still hammer deep drives. She showed that skill smacking a forehand drive down the line then catching a break when the Spaniard tapped an easy smash into net to break for 3-all. A Williams biting body serve helped her go up 4-3.
The Bouzas Maneiro forehand down the line was a weapon when she needed it most. The world No. 51 used that shot to help her hold for 4-all. A clean Bouzas Maneiro forehand return winner down the line sealed the crucial break for 5-4.
Dropping to her knees, Aga Radwanska style, Bouzas Maneiro warded off a crackling return to open the 10th game. On her second match point, Bouzas Maneiroâs slider serve down the T closed Williamsâ Cincinnati return a full 13 years after she reached the semifinals losing to Li Na.
By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 2, 2025 Photo credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty
Victoria Mboko expected a tough fight from Coco Gauff.
Before an electric home crowd, the Canadian teenager delivered a knockout.
Eighteen-year-old Mboko repeatedly beat Gauff to the punch toppling the top-seeded American 6-1, 6-4 to score her biggest career win and roar into the Montreal quarterfinals.Â
“It was one of the biggest matches I could have played so far in my career. So far I feel really happy with how it went,” Mboko told the media in Montreal. “Playing Coco is obviously never easy. She’s No. 2 in the world, and it’s been such a great opportunity for me to play against someone like her. I was just happy I kept my composure today and I pulled it through.”
A dynamic Mboko broke at 15 in the first and last games and spent much of the match playing off the front foot staying one step ahead of the two-time Grand Slam champion.
“I mean, it is tough. I knew she would come in with a lot of confidence, and she’s won her first couple of rounds easily,” Gauff said. “Honestly, I haven’t played the best this tournament, so I knew that it would be tough.
“I don’t know, I just felt like I could do better today, but I also knew that if I took my foot off the gas a little bit, that she would take advantage of those moments, and she did.”
It was Mbokoâs first career Top 10 win and she displayed both power and poise pulling it off.
Mboko, who swept former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in round two, made history as the third Canadian teenager to beat multiple Grand Slam champions at a single event. The explosive Mboko joins Bianca Andreescu (Auckland, Indian Wells and US Open in 2019) and Leylah Fernandez (2021 US Open) in achieving that impressive feat.
When things got tight tonight at 4-all in the second set, Mboko did not crack and continued driving the ball deeper than the two-time Grand Slam champion in avenging a three-set loss to Gauff in Rome.
“Honestly, I don’t think she played much different. I think it’s two different surfaces, and I felt like my level was a little bit higher in Rome, so I think the matchup was better,” Gauff said. “But still, I knew in Rome when I played her, it would be a tough match, and it was.
“I knew today it would be hard, and she’s playing, like, high-level tennis. Yeah, I think that’s what showed today. I think she was the better player today.”
Reigning Roland Garros champion Gauff committed 23 double faultsânearly a full set of doublesâin her opener vs. Danielle Collins yet still squeezed out a 7-5, 4-6 7-6(2) victory relying on her grit and legs to get it done in two hours, 56 minutes. In round two, Gauff clanked 14 double faults fending off Veronika Kudermetova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Today, Gauff hit just six double faultsâone more than the Canadian wild cardâbut Mboko often handcuffed the top seed slashing returns right back through the middle. Mboko converted all four of her break point chances and frequently controlled the forehand to forehand exchanges.
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Gauff skipped Washington, DC to spend time in the Florida heat working on her serve. That shot was suspect in Montreal this week revealing her service game is still very much a work in progress as she heads to Cincinnati before the start of the US Open later this month.
This match was a rematch of the Rome second round in May when Gauff rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.
On the faster Montreal court, Mboko showed sheâs one of the few women who can run with the speedy Gauff as she prevailed in some of the crackling crosscourt running rallies.Â
Reflecting on that Rome defeat helped Mboko remain focused throughout the second set.
“Yeah, I was actually really thinking about it a lot during the match, especially after I won the first set. I kind of had flashbacks to when I played her in Rome a little bit,” Mboko said. “I just remember when she kind of came out playing even better and stepped it up a bit better when I played her in Europe, I was thinking about that.
“I kind of wanted to step my game up a little bit more and make sure I matched whatever she was producing, and I wanted to stay right there with her.”
Taking the ball earlier than Gauff at times Mboko burned the world No. 2 blasting drives down the line.
Deadlocked at 4-all in the second set, Mboko cracked a backhand drive down the line then flashed a clenched fist toward her box holding at 30 for 5-4.
Serving to extend the match, Gauff was down double match point when she hit the slider serve wide. On the full stretch, Mboko flicked a forehand return back into play. Gauff got up to the ball but tried to play a short slice and found the net instead.
Clad head-to-toe in blue Wilson apparel, Mboko tossed her racquet aside and covered her face with her hands in an eruption of emotion as Montreal fans exploded with cheers.
Gauff was gracious in defeat crediting the teenager with outplaying her.
“She’s very athletic. She’s a great ball striker, and she seems pretty positive out there on the court, doesn’t get really too negative,” Gauff said. “I mean, I don’t know her too well, but I’ve gotten to talk to her a little bit over the course since Rome. I think she has a great support system around her, and I think that’s important when you’re young and on tour.
“Yeah, hopefully we have many more battles, and I look forward to playing her again in the future.”
Mboko is the first Canadian teenager to reach the quarterfinals since Andreescu won the title in 2019âand based on this performance she’s poised to do even more damage in this North American summer hard court season.
Elena Rybakina indicates she is dealing with some slight physical issues but suggests everything is under control and she is ready for the remainder of Montreal and the North American hard-court swing.
On Saturday, the Kazakh – who is currently ranked at No. 12 in the world and seeded at No. 9 at the Canadian Open – survived a two-hour and 33-minute battle versus No. 30 seed Dayana Yastremska 5-7 6-2 7-5 to reach the quarterfinal.
For Rybakina, that was already her sixth match on hard courts this summer. Before coming to Montreal, the former world No. 3 reached the Washington semifinal before losing to Leylah Fernandez.
"Well, of course, a little bit getting tired of my issues, but we're managing. Overall I'm happy that I'm ready to play these long matches. I think it's a good preparation for US Open in the end of the day," the 26-year-old said when asked how she was physically feeling.
Rybakina comments on facing Marta Kostyuk next in Montreal
Next up for Rybakina will be a career-fourth meeting against world No. 28 Kostyuk. Two and a half years ago, Kostyuk won their first match at the Adelaide International. Since then, they have met two more times, with the Kazakh winning on the ending side at the 2023 US Open and 2024 Stuttgart.
While the 2022 Wimbledon champion won their last two meetings routinely in straight sets, she insists that she expects "a tough battle" against the Ukrainian.
"We played a couple of times. So different surface, but it's always tough battle. There is noisy matches, that's for sure. I will try to focus on myself. I know that she's really fighter, and she's really physically tough opponent. So yeah, I will try to do my best and hopefully can win that match," the Kazakh said of facing Kostyuk.
In the past, Rybakina made the Montreal semifinal in 2023.
Elena Rybakina struggled and complicated once again but today she managed to come out on top in a tight one and beat Dayana Yastremska 5-7 6-2 7-5 in just over two and a half hours of play for a place in the Montreal quarterfinal.
In the first set, the ninth-seeded Kazakh was up by a break and led 4-3 before collapsing and losing the opener. After dropping the first set in a painful way, the 2022 Wimbledon champion was more convincing in the second set as she bounced back with two breaks to force a decider.
After no breaks were seen in the first four games of the third set, Rybakina got one in the fifth game to go 3-2 up. In the following game, the No. 9 seed had two consecutive game points but blew them as Yastremska got the break back and tied the decider to three games apiece.
Later in the set, Rybakina managed to register a break again in the 11th game and to give herself a chance to serve out for the match. To no one's surprise, the 12th game didn't go without some drama as the Kazakh blew three match points – but then saved a break point – before realizing her fourth match point to seal the win.
It was the type of win that Rybakina needed
The week before Montreal, the Kazakh reached the Washington semifinal before blowing a 7-6 (2) 5-3 lead against Leylah Fernandez. A month earlier, the former world No. 3 failed to convert any of her four consecutive match points against Aryna Sabalenka in the Berlin quarterfinal. And two months earlier, the Kazakh lost to Iga Swiatek at the French Open despite leading 6-1 2-0 early on in the match.
Against Yastremska, it was another tight contest and a hard day at the office for Rybakina. But she managed to win and she is now set to play against Marta Kostyuk for a place in the Montreal semifinal.
Jessica Pegula admits she feels her tennis has been "sloppy" lately and isn't hiding that she is "bothered" by her results.
In late June, the American tennis star captured her third title of the year after beating Iga Swiatek in the Bad Homburg final. Since then, the world No. 4 has stunningly gone 1-3.
After picking up shock first-round losses at Wimbledon (Elisabetta Cocciaretto) and Washington (Leylah Fernandez), Pegula snapped her mini losing streak at the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal by beating Maria Sakkari after a first-round bye. In the Montreal third round, the American was 6-3 2-0 up against Anastasija Sevastova. But then, she inexplicably shut down and world No. 386 Sevastova stormed back to win 3-6 6-3 6-1.
Pegula: My tennis has been kind of sloppy… I don't like it and it bothers me
“It hasn’t been great, to be honest. I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. It really bothers me. You have to figure out how to get out of it and not feel sorry for yourself or make excuses. I’ve got figure it out. I feel like I felt pretty confident knowing I like playing here. I’ve always had good results here. … Did I win DC coming into here? No, but at the same time I’ve won tournaments and lost first round. Nothing in tennis makes sense sometimes," the world No. 4 said.
While Pegula is set to lose a good chunk of points by not defending her Montreal title, she will still stay at No. 4 after the tournament. However, that's not the end of troubles for the 31-year-old since she still has a good chunk of points to defend in the rest of the North American hard-court swing – she reached the finals of the US Open and Cincinnati last year.
Unless Pegula quickly figures out something, her North American hard-court swing could turn into a complete disaster.
By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, July 27, 2025 Photo credit: Mubadala Citi DC Open Facebook
Pushed into the doubles alley, Leylah Fernandez fired a forehand strike.
Even when she was operating from defensive positions, Fernandez conjured offensive magic.
In a brilliant performance, Fernandez crushed Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 to roll to her fourth career championship at the Mubadala Citi DC Open final today.
The 22-year-old Fernandez made history as the first Canadian to rule Washington, DC. Unleashing a 69-minute thrashing, Fernandez soared to the biggest title of her careerâand first since she won 2023 Hong Kong.
âWow. First of all I want to congratulate Anna and her team,â Fernandez said after winning her first WTA 500 championship. âYouâre a tough opponent to play against so congratulations and hope for the best for the future.
âSecondly, I want to thank the DC crowd, give yourself a round of applause. Thank you for being there all week. You guys have been amazing for cheering us on all week through the heat, the humidity the rain so thank you for being here all week.â
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Former world No. 13 Fernandez capped a spectacular week that saw her knock off Aussie talent Maya Joint, top-seeded and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, new WTA doubles No. 1 and home hero Taylor Townsend and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a grueling triple tiebreaker test in the height of the DC heat yesterday.
Fernandez posted four Top 50 wins this week in a stirring triumph that thrusts her back into the Top 25 at No. 24 in the Live Rankings.
World No. 48 Kalinskaya swept 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu yesterday, denying DC fans the prospect of a 2021 US Open final rematch.
The Russian, who had not surrendered a set en route to the final, looked overwhelmed playing for her maiden title today.
âI want to congratulate Leylah, an amazing fighter this week,â Kalinskaya said. âYou truly deserve it. Iâll see you soon, maybe weâll play each other next week you never know.â
Though Kalinskaya’s second serve is usually a sturdy shot, Fernandez won 10 of 12 points played on the Russian’s second serve and converted four of six break points today.
The left-handed Canadian cracked 16 winners, which is seven more than Kalinskaya hit.
Despite her draining three hour, 12-minute triumph over WTA ace leader Rybakina in sweltering heat yesterday, Fernandez exuded more energy and urgency from the opening point today.
Deadlocked after two games, Fernandez surged through five games in a row for a one-set lead.
Belting a backhand down the line brought Fernandez a third set point. Sprinting to her right, Fernandez flicked a drop shot winner to snatch a one-set lead.
Striking a rousing running forehand strike helped Fernandez stretch her lead to 6-1, 3-1.
Straddling the baseline, Fernandez attacked and blocked a forehand volley winner for two more break points.
Cracking a clean backhand return winner down the line, Fernandez stamped her fourth break of the match for a 4-1 second set lead.
Kalinskaya made a brief push going up love-30 in the next game, but Fernandez fired through four points in a row. Flashing a serve winner down the T, Fernandez threw a clenched fist to her father in the support box extending to 6-1, 5-1 after just 61 minutes of play.
On her third championship point, Fernandez closed on Kalinskaya’s 24th unforced error.
Leylah Fernandez is revealing what she considers a red flag ahead of her first date and that's seeing a person using "a lot of slang."
10 days ago, the 2021 US Open champion candidly admitted to never being on a date and asked potential suitors to slide into her Instagram DM for a potential date in Montreal. While competing in Washington, the 22-year-old funnily told interested individuals to feel safe to reach out to her because it was not true that her father/coach Jorge was "unwelcoming."
After winning the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, Fernandez arrived in Montreal – the place where she should have her first date. During an appearance on Tennis Channel, the panel touched on the subject and asked the Canadian to reveal what she would consider a red flag in a date.
"I think the No. 1 red flag for me is… There's a lot of slang in the message. For me, it's not very… I don't like to say proper but it's not easy to understand," Fernandez said.
After beating Anna Kalinskaya in the Washington final, the world No. 24 shared that she had found herself a date for Montreal. However, she also added that since she would arrive late to Montreal, she would likely push back the date.
"Honestly, I told my date that we might have to push it back a little bit because I'm still in DC. So, hopefully, maybe at the end of Montreal, I get to have that date finally, but we've been talking and keeping in touch to hopefully schedule it at the end of Montreal before going to Cincy," Fernandez said.
Since the 22-year-old lost in the Montreal first round on Tuesday, her date might come in the next day or so.
Leylah Fernandez took a shot at the Montreal organizers following her early exit at the tournament, claiming that she had made a request that wasn't granted.
The Canadian, ranked at No. 24 in the world, won the WTA 500 tournament in Washington on Sunday and she arrived in Montreal riding a five-match winning streak. But in her opening match at the Canadian Open, the new four-time WTA champion didn't stand a chance as Maya Joint claimed a routine 6-4 6-1 win.
Speaking with reporters after the match, Fernandez revealed that she reached out to the tournament organizers asking for her first-round match to be scheduled for the Tuesday evening session. The 22-year-old also added that she had been given "a lot of promises" that would happen – but it didn't.
“I did not receive that. That hurt me because I was very looking forward to be playing at night, but I guess it's a little bit political issues at that point," the top-ranked Canadian female tennis player said afterward.
Montreal tournament director responds to Fernandez's strong words
Montreal tournament director Sophie Tetreault confirmed that the Washington champion indeed made the request and suggested that she was ready to grant it. But then, the WTA authorities stepped in and had another match that they preferred in the night slot.
“But I didn't win my fight. I received the request for her to play in the evening. It's my role to have conversations with the WTA, so I pushed as much as possible for her to have what she wanted," Tetreault said.
The main action in Montreal started on Sunday and the majority of first-round matches concluded by Monday. On Tuesday, three first-round matches were left to be played out – Fernandez was one of them.
Fernandez losing early in Montreal is disappointing for all sides, especially knowing that she came to the Canadian Open in great form.
Leylah Fernandez claimed the Washington title in style after destroying Anna Kalinskaya 6-1 6-2 in just an hour and nine minutes of play.
Early in the match, it was actually world No. 48 Kalinskaya who had two break points in the third game. But after saving those two break points and opening a 2-1 lead, Fernandez went on to also win the next four games and bag the opener.
After dropping the first set, Kalinskaya served out the opening game of the second set. But just as she did in the first set, the Canadian went on a five-game run and opened a 5-1 lead before serving out for the match in the eighth game.
For Fernandez, this was her first Washington title and overall her fourth WTA title. Also, this was her first WTA main glory since she made it all the way in Hong Kong in late 2023.
Fernandez dedicated her Washington title to her family and her team
"I want to dedicate this trophy to my mom, my oldest sister, and my fitness trainer. You guys have been fighting all year round and still are fighting. Thank you so much for never giving up on me. Don’t give up on yourselves. This trophy is for you guys. Hopefully we can celebrate all together very very soon," the Canadian tennis star said.
Leylah Fernandez dedicates her Washington trophy to her mom, sister, and fitness trainer:
“I want to dedicate this trophy to my mom, my oldest sister, and my fitness trainer. You guys have been fighting all year round and still are fighting. Thank you so much for never giving up… pic.twitter.com/wa6l2Oo88x
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 27, 2025
Fernandez will now fly to Montreal, where she is as the home star will take on Maya Joint in the first round of the Canadian WTA 1000 tournament.
Elena Rybakina has had a couple of concerning collapses this year and the latest came this past on Saturday, when the Kazakh blew a big lead and suffered a shock Washington semifinal loss.
After sealing a tight first set versus world No. 36 Leylah Fernandez, the No. 3 seed also went 3-1 up in the second set and had three consecutive break points to open a double-break second-set lead.
But then, Rybakina's troubles started. First, the Kazakh didn't manage to get a break in the fifth game. Then, the 2022 Wimbledon champion got broken for the very first time in the match when she was serving to seal the win in the 10th game. To make it all worse, she completely disappeared in the second-set tie-break and won only three points there.
The third set was an extremely tight contest as not a single break point was seen. But then, the tie-break quickly turned into a one-sided battle as Fernandez took the opening four points before completing a 6-7 (2) 7-6 (3) 7-6 (3) comeback win.
LEYLAH ANNIE FERNANDEZ is into the @mubadalacitidc FINALS đâŒïž
It is not the first time this has happened to Rybakina this year
Over the last two months, Rybakina – ranked at No. 12 – has had three baffling losses.
In the French Open round-of-16, the Kazakh was all over Iga Swiatek early on and opened a dominant 6-1 2-0 lead before allowing the Pole to come back and win 1-6 6-3 7-5. In the Berlin quarterfinal, the 2022 Wimbledon champion had four consecutive match points in the third-set tie-break against Aryna Sabalenka before stunningly losing the next six points and seeing the Belarusian win 7-6 (6) 3-6 7-6 (6).
In Washington, Rybakina had yet another collapse and lost herself when the time came for her to get over the finish line.
Rybakina is now 33-14 on the year. She has been ranked outside the top-10 since April and that won't change on Monday.
