Diana Shnaider weathered a second-set collapse and early pressure in the decider to defeat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday, securing the Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old Russian controlled the opening set at Ariake Coliseum but lost momentum after dropping the second. Facing a pivotal moment at the start of the final set, Shnaider successfully defended three break points before regaining control to close out the championship match in two hours and 18 minutes. The victory extends Shnaider’s streak to six consecutive wins in WTA tour finals.
“I want to say thanks to and congratulate my coach, who is here with me, for achieving our first title this season,” Shnaider said following the victory. “It definitely means a lot, a great achievement and great finish of this season.”
The loss marked the second consecutive week as a runner-up for Fernandez, who fell to world number one Elena Rybakina in the Ningbo Open final the previous week. Despite the back-to-back defeats in title matches, the Canadian also captured a tournament victory at the Singapore Open in September.
“I would like to congratulate Diana. Congratulations. An amazing week, a great match. Congratulations to you and your team. Hopefully we can have many more battles like this one,” Fernandez said.
