Fernandez beats Rakhimova to reach Tokyo final

Leylah Fernandez defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 in the Pan Pacific Open semifinals on Saturday, advancing to the Tokyo final against Diana Shnaider. Fernandez will seek her first title since winning the Singapore Open in September, while Shnaider is also pursuing her first title of the season. Fernandez had to recover from an early break in each set. She levelled the first set after falling behind 1-3, then earned a late break to take it 7-5. In the second, she again came back from an early break and closed out the match 6-3. The match lasted one hour and 54 minutes, according to tournament reporting. Fernandez, ranked No. 23, recorded nine aces. A tournament account said she won 54% of points played and finished with nine winners and two unforced errors; Rakhimova had two winners and no unforced errors. Rakhimova, ranked No. 66, entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in qualifying and reached the semifinals before her defeat. Shnaider, the third seed, beat wildcard Mia Pohankova in straight sets in the other semifinal, setting up the final with Fernandez. Shnaider had lost four semifinals earlier in the season and reached her first final of 2026. Pohankova,...