Canada's Fernandez advances to Singapore semifinals with upset of top seed Andreeva

Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns the ball to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

SINGAPORE — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez advanced to the semifinals of the Singapore Tennis Open with a 6-2, 7-5 upset of top seed Mirra Andreeva on Friday.

The sixth seed from Laval, Que., saved two break points in the third game of the first set, then broke Andreeva on her way to a 1-0 lead.

Fernandez was up 5-2 in the second set before Andreeva mounted a comeback attempt. But the 24-year-old picked up her sixth break of the match in the 12th game to complete the victory over the Russian one hour 32 minutes.

The Canadian improved her career record to 3-2 against Andreeva, who is No. 5 in the world rankings. All three of Fernandez’s wins in the series have come on hardcourt, including at the National Bank Open in Toronto earlier this year.

Fernandez advanced to her first semifinal of the season and will next face fifth seed Maja Chwalinska of Poland on Saturday.

Chwalinska, who was runner-up at this year’s French Open and advanced to the Singapore semifinals with a win over defending champion Elise Mertens, will play Fernandez for the first time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2026.