Leylah Fernandez releases her first message on social media after winning ‘extra special’ Singapore Open title

Leylah Fernandez has shared her delight at claiming the title at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Fernandez claimed her first title of the season at the WTA 500 tournament, dropping just one set en route to the trophy. She now boasts six career titles, and has just risen five places to 26th in the world rankings following her latest triumph at the Singapore Tennis Open.

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Canadian ace Fernandez gave a shoutout to her Pinoy fans on court after the final against Talia Gibson, and has now issued further gratitude on social media. She beat the Australian 7-5, 6-0, which followed victories over Kyoka Okamura, Alycia Parks and Mirra Andreeva and Maja Chwalinska.

Leylah Fernandez celebrates 'extra special' Singapore Open title

Fernandez posted on her Instagram: "This one feels extra special. Thank you Singapore for welcoming me with so much love and for bringing the energy. And to all the Pinoy fans who came out to support me, your love and cheers meant so much! Thank you tournament staff, volunteers, and everyone who made this week possible!"

Clearly a very popular winner, Fernandez received a "congratulations" message from fellow WTA star Coco Gauff in the comments, while Eva Lys responded with clapping emojis. The message from the Canadian was accompanied by a handful of images from her time in Singapore. Clearly a fan of playing in Asia, three of her six career titles have arrived in the region; Hong Kong 2023, Osaka 2025 and Singapore 2026.

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But she has very little time to ponder her latest run, with the 24-year-old now moving on to the China Open. Beijing plays host to the WTA 1000 tournament, where Fernandez is the 23rd seed. She starts out in the second round after a first round bye, and could play Kamilla Rakhimova before a possible meeting with Iva Jovic.

Sharing a realistic assessment after winning Singapore, she said: "This gives me a lot of confidence, but I do know that the very next day I have to start from zero. Another big tournament starts.

"Beijing is not an easy tournament, with so many top players. So you know it's just going to get tougher from here on out. But seeing that I was able to go through this type of adversity this week gives me the belief that I can do it again." Many big names are indeed committed to Beijing, including top three seeds Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.

Fernandez remains behind Victoria Mboko in the highest-ranked Canadian WTA players, but her Singapore Open final opponent Gibson is the new Australian number one. It was a very positive week for the nation in general, with her fellow Australian Kimberly Birrell defeating compatriot Maya Joint in the Korea Open final in Seoul. They played out the first all-Australian WTA singles final since 2017.

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