Fernandez beats Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 to reach Tokyo final, Al Jazeera reports

Canada's Leylah Fernandez beat Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, according to Al Jazeera.

Separately, TASS reports that Russia's Diana Shnaider has reached the final of the 2026 WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an official WTA or tournament source for these results.

The semifinal

According to Al Jazeera, Fernandez hit nine aces. She came back from a break down in both sets and won the match in just under two hours.

Rakhimova is ranked 66th, Al Jazeera reported. She lost in qualifying in Tokyo but entered the main draw as a lucky loser. She then reached the semifinals. She was attempting to reach her first WTA Tour final.

Fernandez's season

Fernandez is ranked World No 23, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that the Tokyo final is her third final of 2026.

She won her first title of the season in Singapore last month, Al Jazeera reported. Last week she reached the final of the Ningbo Open in China. She lost that match to World No 1 Elena Rybakina.

Fernandez reached the Tokyo semifinals when Rybakina withdrew from their match with a neck injury, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet said this came a day after Rybakina secured the year-end world No 1 ranking.

Fernandez is seeking her seventh WTA Tour title in the final, which is scheduled for Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.

The final

At the time of its report, Al Jazeera said Fernandez's opponent would be either Russia's Diana Shnaider or Slovakia's Mia Pohankova. The TASS report states that Shnaider has reached the final.

Taken together, the two reports indicate that the final would be Fernandez against Shnaider. However, neither outlet states this directly.

What the reports do not include

Only the headline of the TASS report was available to Vocemundi. Its full text, including Shnaider's semifinal opponent and score, is not included.

The reports do not include the start time of the final. They do not include comments from Fernandez, Rakhimova, Shnaider or tournament officials. They also do not include an official source for Rybakina's withdrawal or its reason.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe any dispute over the results.

Analysis

If the reports are accurate, Fernandez enters the final after a run of three finals in 2026, including a title in Singapore and a loss in Ningbo. A win would give her a seventh WTA Tour title, according to Al Jazeera's count. A loss would end the run without a second title this season. The identity of her opponent rests on combining two separate reports, one of them available only as a headline. Official tournament or WTA results would clarify the line-up. They would also confirm details such as Rybakina's withdrawal and its reason, which currently rest on a single outlet.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.