Leylah Fernandez, talented teen Tereza Valentova to square off for Osaka title

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — The last remaining seeded player at the WTA's Japan Open has reached Sunday's final — Leylah Fernandez defeated 35-year-old Sorana Cîrstea 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

At 4-4 in the deciding set Saturday, Fernandez broke Cîrstea's serve, then held her own serve in the next game to advance.

The fourth-seeded Canadian player will face 18-year-old qualifier Tereza Valentova in the final. Valentova beat Jaqueline Cristian 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

Cristian advanced to the last four when top-seeded Naomi Osaka pulled out with a left leg injury on Friday, giving the Romanian player a walkover in her quarterfinal.

Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open runner-up, advanced to her eighth career final. Her only run to a semifinal this season came at the WTA 500 D.C. Open, where she defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the final for her fourth WTA singles title.

Fernandez lost in three sets to Coco Gauff in the second round of the China Open in late September.