Leylah Fernandez and Anna Kalinskaya will contest the final of the Washington Open on Sunday.
Fernandez, who reached the US Open final in 2021, came through a brutal contest against Elena Rybakina to win 6-7 7-6 7-6 in three hours and 12 minutes. After the match, Fernandez revealed some crucial coaching advice she received during the match against the Kazakh star.
Meanwhile, Kalinskaya defeated British hope Emma Raducanu, triumphing 6-4 6-3.
The much-anticipated final, which will take place on Sunday evening, will likely have major implications on US Open seedings.
The pair have met once previously, in Guadalajara.
Leylah Fernandez defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the only previous meeting
Back in 2021, Leylah Fernandez was competing at the Guadalajara Open and found herself up against Anna Kalinskaya.
The tournament was taking place just one week after Fernandez lost to Emma Raducanu in the final of the US Open.
Despite her best efforts, Fernandez was downed by Kalinskaya, with the Russian winning 7-5 4-6 6-4.
The match was strewn with mistakes; Kalinskaya served 11 double faults while Fernandez struck 12.
The defining factor may have been their second serve points won. Neither won many, but Fernandez won 46 per cent to Kalinskaya’s 34 per cent.
In reality, there was little to separate the two players in Mexico. They both won a maximum of four games in a row and they converted a similar number of break points.
Anna Kalinskaya has never won a WTA Tour title
Despite reaching a career high of world number 11 in 2024, Anna Kalinskaya is yet to win a WTA Tour-level singles title.
Now ranked 39 in the world, the Russian has a unique opportunity to break her duck when she plays Fernandez in the Washington Open final on Sunday.
During their most recent tournament, Wimbledon, Fernandez reached the second round of singles before losing to Laura Siegemund, while Kalinskaya also lost in the second round, to Clara Tauson.
In Washington, Fernandez has beaten the number one seed Jessica Pegula on her way to the final, while Kalinskaya enacted revenge on Clara Tauson for her Wimbledon loss.
The pair are scheduled to contest the Washington Open final at 7:30pm GMT on Sunday.
