Fernandez thrives in Osaka pressure cooker

Leylah Fernandez extended her Osaka run with a 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over Rebecca Sramkova, wrapping the quarterfinal in one hour and 34 minutes under the Kinoshita Group Japan Open lights. The No. 4 seed, now three straight-sets wins deep in the draw, turned the hard courts into her domain, where the ball’s zip rewarded her flat strokes and quick adjustments. As the crowd’s hum built with each traded break, she channeled the friction into focus, her game a testament to a season of reclaimed edge.

Navigating first-set turbulence

Fernandez absorbed an early break point in the opening game, holding with a mix of deep serves and crosscourt forehands that tested Sramkova’s positioning. She held serve comfortably until 5-5, when the Slovakian finally cracked her delivery, but the Canadian responded instantly with a break back, her inside-out backhand forcing an error to level the set. This exchange shifted the tempo, propelling her into the tiebreak where she overcame a mini-break deficit, landing 68 percent of first serves and claiming 67 percent of those points to seal a 7-2 win; her 54 percent success on second serves limited Sramkova to just two break chances all set.

Sramkova held her own with 53 percent first serves in play, winning 72 percent of them and 50 percent on seconds, turning the opener into a baseline standoff where neither yielded ground easily. Yet Fernandez’s resolve turned the tide, her one–two patterns—serve followed by aggressive returns—disrupting the rhythm on the speedy surface.

Flipping the second-set script

The second set opened with Sramkova surging to a 2-0 lead, echoing her upset win over Fernandez in Mexico last August—one of only three losses this season when the Canadian takes the first set. Fernandez, drawing on a 23-3 record in such scenarios and 21 straight-sets finishes, reeled off four straight games, her down-the-line passes and deep crosscourt returns pinning the opponent deep and exploiting the low bounce. She faced just one more break point overall, her total points edge slim at 52-49 but her pressure relentless, as Sramkova saved three match points at 5-3 before yielding to a final break.

This head-to-head leveled at 1-1, a rematch that highlighted Fernandez’s growth in grinding out points under duress. The Osaka hard courts amplified her flat-hitting style, contrasting Sramkova’s underspin defenses, while the evening humidity added a layer of endurance test to every rally. Fernandez has now won the opening set in five of her last six matches, her consistency fueling a narrative of steady ascent.

Firing through 🔥@leylahfernandez makes it to the semifinals with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Sramkova.#JapanOpen pic.twitter.com/r2n8PSYabf

— wta (@WTA) October 17, 2025

Eyes on semifinal showdown

Ahead lies a clash with either Viktorija Golubic or Sorana Cirstea, per the draws and scores shaping the bracket, alongside the order of play for Saturday. She holds a 2-0 edge over Golubic, including a comeback from a set down in Birmingham last year and straight sets in Monterrey in 2021, while Cirstea would mark a debut matchup. Fernandez’s path echoes her July title run in Washington, D.C., where mental steel turned pressure into propulsion; a win here would land her second final of the season.

The crowd’s energy, from murmurs to mounting cheers, underscored her enjoyment of these battles, as she reflected post-match. On October 17, 2025, @leylahfernandez advanced at the #JapanOpen with poise, her serve and mindset primed for the next layer of challenge, where every adjustment could unlock deeper glory on these unforgiving courts.