Canada’s Leylah Fernandez is back in the top 20 of the WTA Tour’s world rankings for the first time in more than four years, after her run to the final of the Pan Pacific Open.
Fernandez, from Laval, Que., rose five positions to No. 18 in the latest rankings released Monday. On Sunday, she lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to Russia’s Diana Shnaider in a match that lasted two hours and 18 minutes.
Strong run in Tokyo
Fernandez beat 14th-ranked Elise Mertens of Belgium in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, she earned a walkover win over top-ranked Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Back-to-back finals
Fernandez had already reached a final the week before at another WTA 500 hardcourt event in Ningbo, China. She lost 6-2, 6-2 to Rybakina in that championship match.
The 24-year-old Canadian won her first title of the season at the Singapore Open in late September. It was the sixth WTA Tour title of her career.
Path back to the top 20
Fernandez last sat in the top 20 in September 2022, one month after she reached a career-high No. 13 in the world rankings.
Rybakina remains atop the rankings, with Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at No. 2 and Mirra Andreeva of Russia at No. 3. The top three did not change this week.
Other Canadians
Fernandez also passed Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., who dropped five spots to No. 20. Mboko has not played a competitive match since June because of a left knee injury.
Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., climbed 20 spots to No. 109 after winning the WTA 125-level Queretaro Open in Mexico last weekend. Kayla Cross of London, Ont., fell eight spots to No. 197.