The Japan Times - Kalinskaya to face Fernandez in DC Open women's final

The 26-year-old Russian, seeking her first WTA title, downed Raducani 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday's Washington hard court semi-finals to reach her third career tour final.

It denied what would have been the first meeting between Raducanu and Fernandez since they met as teen phenomenons four years ago in the final at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu taking a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Left-hander Fernandez rallied to defeat third seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) after three hours and 12 minutes to book her spot in Sunday's championship match.

Fernandez won her only meeting with Kalinskaya, taking a first-round victory in 2021 at Guadalajara.

World number 36 Fernandez seeks her fourth career WTA title and first since the 2023 Hong Kong Open.

Raducanu, ranked 46th, has not reached a WTA final since her Grand Slam breakthrough in New York.

Fernandez reached her seventh career WTA final and first since June 2024 at Eastbourne. Kalinskaya reached her only tour finals last year at Dubai and Berlin.

World number 12 Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon winner, and Fernandez each surrendered only one break in their marathon match.

Rybakina fired winners on the final four points of the first tie-break, the last a service winner, to claim the opening set after 53 minutes.

In the second set, Rybakina broke on a backhand drop volley winner to take the opening game and took a 3-1 lead. Fernandez fought back from 0-40 down to hold in the fifth game then broke Rybakina in the 10th when she was serving for the match to pull level at 5-5.

In the second tie-breaker, Fernandez seized a 5-0 lead and forced a third set on a Rybakina double fault.

Both held into a third tie-breaker, in which Fernandez seized a 4-0 lead and ended matters when Rybakina swatted a forehand beyond the baseline.

Rybakina, the WTA season ace leader, fired 17 aces, two off her career high, and seven double faults but had 64 unforced errors and 44 winners.

Fernandez had 12 aces against three double faults and took 66% of her second serve points.

- Kalinskaya rolls -

In the other semi, Raducanu sent a backhand long to surrender the first break of the match in the ninth game of the first set.

Kalinskaya fought off two break points in the 10th game and held on an overhead smash to claim the set in 53 minutes.

World number 39 Kalinskaya fired a backhand cross-court winner to break Raducanu in the opening game of the second set but the Briton responded by breaking back at love to 1-1.

Kalinskaya broke again for a 3-2 edge when Raducanu sent a backhand beyond the baseline, then saved a break point in the eighth game and held to end the match when Raducanu netted a forehand after 94 minutes.

The later men's semi-finals send French lucky loser Corentin Moutet against Australian seventh seed Alex De Minaur and Spanish 12th seed Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina against US fourth seed Ben Shelton.

S.Suzuki--JT