Canada’s Leylah Fernandez beat Japanese wild card Himeno Sakatsume 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Two days after losing the Ningbo final to world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, the Canadian showed no sign of fatigue in a straight-sets win on Center Court at the Ariake Coliseum.
Fernandez went into the first-round match as a clear favorite against the world No. 115. She controlled the opening set and then held off a stronger challenge from the home player in the second to close out the win.
It was the first meeting between the two at tour level.
A Busy Asian Swing
The win continues an excellent run for Fernandez. Last month, she won the WTA 500 title in Singapore as a wild card, beating Mirra Andreeva, Maja Chwalinska and Talia Gibson along the way. It was the sixth title of her career.
She followed that with a run to the final in Ningbo, winning three three-set matches in the early rounds before beating Marie Bouzkova in the semifinals. On Sunday, she lost the final 6-2, 6-2 to Rybakina, who did not drop her serve in a match lasting 76 minutes.
To play in Ningbo, Fernandez chose not to defend her title at the Japan Open in Osaka, which she won last year. According to Tennis Canada, the decision paid off, as her runner-up finish in Ningbo earned her more ranking points than a WTA 250 title would have. The quick turnaround to Tokyo made Tuesday’s match a potential trap, but Fernandez handled it well.
Leylah FERNANDEZ returns a shot against Himeno SAKATSUME – Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
A Former US Open Finalist
The 24-year-old left-hander from Laval, Quebec, first made her name by reaching the 2021 US Open final as a teenager, beating Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka before losing to Emma Raducanu. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 13 in 2022.
Her six career titles have all come on hard courts: Monterrey in 2021 and 2022, Hong Kong in 2023, Washington and Osaka in 2025, and Singapore this year.
Sakatsume Bows Out
For Sakatsume, the defeat ends her week at her home WTA 500 event, where she received a wild card. Most of her success has come on the ITF circuit and at WTA 125 level. Last week, she lost in the first round of the Japan Open in Osaka to Britain’s Katie Boulter.
What Comes Next
Fernandez is in the top quarter of the draw, which is led by Rybakina. In the second round, she will face either fifth seed Elise Mertens or Japanese wild card Moyuka Uchijima.
A win there could set up a quarterfinal rematch with Rybakina, who has a first-round bye and has now beaten Fernandez in their last three meetings. For the Canadian, the goal in Tokyo is to keep building on the best stretch of her season before the year ends.