Leylah Fernandez is off to a strong start in her hard-court swing. She recently penned a passionate message after winning her first round match at the 2025 Citi DC Open.
Fernandez last competed at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, D.C., in 2023. She earned her place in the main draw by winning the qualifying rounds. In the main draw, she defeated Bernarda Pera in the first round but was eliminated by the eventual runner-up, Maria Sakkari, in the second round.
Leylah Fernandez Reacts to Her First-Round Win at Citi DC Open 2025
After concluding her grass court season, Fernandez began her campaign at the 2025 Citi DC Open. She faced Maya Joint in the first round and won 6-3, 6-3.
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Following her victory over Joint, the Canadian took to social media and shared a series of pictures from the match. She expressed that it was a “good start” to her hard court swing and is looking forward to the upcoming matches.
“Bring on the hard court US Open swing 👀 Good start here at the @mubadalacitidcopen See you guys in the next round!” Fernandez captioned her Instagram post.
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In the lead-up to the 2025 Citi DC Open, Fernandez competed at Wimbledon where she secured a win against wild card Hannah Klugman before being knocked out by eventual quarterfinalist Laura Siegemund in the second round.
Who Will Leylah Fernandez Face in the 2025 Citi DC Open 2R?
Following her victory over Joint in the first round of the 2025 Citi Open, Leylah Fernandez is set to face top seed Jessica Pegula in the second round of the tournament.
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Pegula recently completed her grass court swing, participating in three tournaments: the 2025 Berlin Tennis Open, the Bad Homburg Open, and the Wimbledon Championships.
In Berlin, Pegula was seeded third and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She faced Liudmila Samsonova in her opening match but lost with a score of 6-7(8), 7-5, 7-6(5).
The former World No. 3 was the top seed at the Bad Homburg Open, and she triumphed over qualifier Kateřina Siniaková, compatriot and fifth seed Emma Navarro, and Linda Nosková to secure her place in the final. There, she defeated fourth seed Iga Świątek with a score of 6-4, 7-5 to win the tournament and claim her ninth career WTA Tour singles title.
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Pegula recently competed at the London Major, where she lost 2-6, 3-6 to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round. Ahead of their second-round match at the 2025 Citi DC Open, it’s worth noting that Fernandez and Pegula have met twice on the WTA Tour, with the American winning both encounters.
Their most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, which Pegula won 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(3). She then went on to finish as the runner-up after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
The winner of the second round match between Fernandez and Pegula at the WTA 500 hard court tournament in Washington will advance to face either sixth seed Sofia Kenin, qualifier Taylor Townsend, Hailey Baptiste, or Tatjana Maria in the quarterfinals.
