Osaka edges Fernandez in Wuhan Open comeback to reach second round

Naomi Osaka rallied from a set down to beat Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on October 7, 2025, at the Wuhan Open, advancing to the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center. The 11th-seeded Osaka recovered after a slow start to secure a hard-fought win over the Canadian, who had produced one of the biggest upsets of the 2021 U.S. Open by eliminating Osaka in Flushing Meadows.

Fernandez held serve and converted one of two break point chances to take the opening set, but Osaka raised her intensity on the return in the second set, which featured five service breaks. Momentum shifted as Osaka steadied her baseline game and used her forehand to dictate crosscourt patterns, gradually forcing errors and converting key opportunities to pull level. She closed out the match with a 6-3 third set, completing a comeback that extended a strong season for the four-time Grand Slam champion.

The victory marked Osaka’s seventh match this year in which she recovered from a set down, equaling her best single-season total previously recorded in 2019, according to WTA statistics. The result also served as immediate redemption after a surprise first-round...