An appearance in the final of the Pan Pacific Open has helped move Canada’s Leylah Fernandez back into the top 20 in the WTA Tour’s world rankings for the first time in over four years. Fernandez, from Laval, Que., rose five positions to No. 18 in the latest rankings Monday. She dropped a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 decision to Russia’s Diana Shnaider on Sunday in a match that lasted two hours 18 minutes. Fernandez beat 14th-ranked Elise Mertens of Belgium in the round of 16 and secured a walkover win over top-ranked Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals. The Canadian was coming off a runner-up finish in Ningbo, China, a week earlier at another WTA 500 hardcourt tournament. She dropped a 6-2, 6-2 decision to Rybakina in that final. The 24-year-old Canadian earned her first title of the season at the Singapore Open in late September. It was the sixth WTA Tour title of her career. Fernandez was last in the top 20 in September 2022, a month after she reached a career-high No. 13 in the world rankings. Rybakina topped an unchanged top three this week with Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at No. 2 and Mirra Andreeva of Russia at No. 3. Fernandez also moved ahead of Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., who slipped five spots to No. 20. Mboko hasn’t played a competitive match since June due to a left knee injury. Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., rose 20 spots to No. 109 after her win at the WTA 125-level Queretaro Open in Mexico last weekend. Kayla Cross of London, Ont., dropped eight spots to No. 197. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2026.
