Leylah Fernandez picked up the biggest win of her career with a 6-1 6-2 victory against Anna Kalinskaya at the Washington Open.
A double fault from Russia’s Kalinskaya handed Fernandez a break to lead 3-1 and she broke again for 5-1 before serving out the first set.
Kalinskaya struggled with the humid conditions in the second as Canada’s Fernandez further tightened her grip with another double break helping her to take the set in 40 minutes.
It was Fernandez’s first appearance in a final since losing at Eastbourne in June 2024 and her maiden WTA 500 title.
Her victory saw her climb from world number 36 to 24 and she now heads to her homeland for the Canadian Open in Montreal, where she will face Australian Maya Joint in the first round.
Joint’s compatriot Alex de Minaur won the men’s title in Washington DC after saving three match points against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The Australian number one rallied from a set down before riding his luck in the third set to win 5-7 6-1 7-6 (7-3).
Victory at the ATP 500 event meant a 10th career title for De Minaur and ensured he entered the world’s top 10 before next month’s US Open, taking him from 13th to eighth in the rankings.