Leylah Fernandez arrived at The Kallang as a last-minute wildcard. On Saturday, she turned that unexpected opportunity into something much bigger: a place in the Singapore Tennis Open presented by BNP Paribas final.

The Canadian, ranked world No. 31, defeated fifth seed Maja Chwalinska 6-? in the semifinals to reach her first tour-level final of the year, following Friday’s statement victory over top seed Mirra Andreeva. She will face Australian Talia Gibson in Sunday’s championship match, in what will be the pair’s first meeting.

For Fernandez, the run has been about more than results. After a year marked by setbacks and a struggle to regain confidence, the Singapore week has offered a reminder of what her best tennis can look like.

“It’s about time, man. It feels good,” Fernandez said after reaching the final. “I mean, there’s been a lot of work. There’s been a lot of adversity that I faced this year. So for me, it’s just a lot of pride.”

Against Chwalinska, Fernandez initially found herself uncomfortable against a player whose game is built around variety rather than sheer pace. The Pole mixed backhand slices, heavy forehand spin and frequent changes of rhythm, forcing Fernandez to adjust to a very different kind of contest.

The first set went Chwalinska’s way as Fernandez struggled to find her rhythm. But rather than trying to force the match open, the Canadian gradually changed the terms of the contest. She shortened points, moved forward more often, took the ball earlier and began applying greater pressure.

“I mean, the first set I came in very stressed, nervous. And it’s normal, I mean, it’s the semi-finals; we both want to get into the finals,” Fernandez said. “Maja is such an amazing person and also a player. She’s tricky to play against. I tried to force some shots that weren’t there. I tried to hit winners when I needed to work the ball, needed to work the point.”

That adjustment began to pay off in the second set. Fernandez found more consistency in her movement and groundstrokes, while continuing to serve effectively. When Chwalinska fought back from 1-3 to level at 3-3, the match briefly looked as though it might swing again.

Instead, Fernandez responded by increasing the pressure.

She broke at 4-4 and closed out the set when Chwalinska sent a forehand return into the net, taking the match into a deciding set.

The third was closer than the scoreline suggested, lasting more than 50 minutes. Chwalinska created an early break opportunity at 0-1, but Fernandez saved it and moved ahead 3-1. From there, both players produced the kind of intricate rallies that made the contest as much about touch, movement and patience as power.

Fernandez eventually found the opening she needed. A backhand down the line winner on match point completed the comeback and sent her into her ninth tour-level final.

“The second set, I was just happy that at the end of the first set, I was able to kind of find a little bit more of the rhythm,” she said. “And in the second set, I said, okay, let’s just keep working, I’ll get my opportunities and, you know, try to stay positive as much as possible. Just little by little, my game started to click.”

By the third set, the Canadian felt increasingly settled.

“And in the third set, it just felt more comfortable, more at ease.”

The atmosphere at The Kallang has also become part of Fernandez’s story this week.

During the difficult opening set, the Singapore crowd continued to encourage her even as Chwalinska pulled away. For Fernandez, those cheers became a reason to keep believing that the match could still turn around.

“The crowd still cheered and tried to get me a third game, fourth game, fifth game,” she said. “That just helped me into never quitting.”

“When I did get my first game in the sixth game, in the first set, and I heard the cheers, and I was like, OK, they’re not going to give up on me, so let me not give up on them either. Not give up on myself.”

That connection gave Fernandez another source of momentum.

“I guess the crowd definitely helped me see that, OK, the fight is not over. I can always go to a third set. I’m always like physically good and fresh.”

For Chwalinska, meanwhile, the Singapore run still represents a significant step forward. This was only her second WTA 500 main draw in singles, and she leaves having collected several important wins and reached a semifinal at this level.

“I think for sure she played much better at the end of the second set. And she kind of knew where to go in the third, so she deserved to win,” Chwalinska said.

“It’s right after the match, so I obviously didn’t have a lot of time to process it. She played better. She deserved to win. It’s over now. When I have more time, I will look at the match again and see what I did wrong and what I could do better next time.”

Despite the disappointment, she was keen to look at the bigger picture.

“I think I played solid tennis throughout the whole week. I didn’t play really well today, at the end of the match, but I’m definitely very grateful for this week. I’m happy to get some wins, finally. It’s a process. We’ll take some lessons from this week, and we’ll keep on improving.”

“It was a great pleasure to be here. And I will come back next year.”

Fernandez’s opponent will be Talia Gibson, who booked her place in the final after her semifinal against Maria Sakkari and will now have the opportunity to claim her first WTA title.

The Australian has already enjoyed a breakthrough week in Singapore, reaching her first WTA final. With Fernandez advancing after Prozorova’s withdrawal from the singles semifinals, the two players will meet for the first time on Sunday.

For Fernandez, the final represents another chance to convert a strong week into a significant title.

It will be her ninth tour-level final and a shot at a sixth career title. It would also be her second WTA 500 crown, following her triumph in Washington last year.

But before she looks too far ahead, Fernandez is simply embracing the fact that she has finally put herself back in this position.

“I worked very hard throughout the years. I worked very hard this year trying to get my confidence back, my movement back, keeping healthy, not only physically but also mentally,” she said.

“So, you know, being able to get to the finals this year means a lot. Hopefully I get to continue with a good tennis and a good mentality. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

The singles final will be followed by another intriguing title battle, with Tang Qianhui and Xu Yifan taking on Erin Rutliffe and Aldila Sudjiadi for the doubles championship.

Tang and Xu continued their impressive week by defeating third seeds Miyu Kato and Ellen Perez 6-0, 3-6, 10-6 in Saturday’s semifinal. Having already eliminated the top seeds earlier in the tournament, the Chinese pairing once again held their nerve when the match reached its decisive moments.

They raced to a 5-0 lead in the match tiebreak before Kato and Perez mounted a comeback, but Tang and Xu stayed composed to close it out.

Their opponents in the final, Rutliffe and Sudjiadi, survived an equally tense semifinal against Talia Gibson and Sofia Costoulas, winning 7-6(4), 6-3.

The Indonesian-Australian combination had to fight back after losing momentum late in the opening set. After holding a 2-0 lead, they found themselves trailing 5-3 and saved a set point before recovering to force a tiebreak. Even there, they went 0-2 down before working their way back and taking the opener.

They then broke for 5-3 in the second set and converted their first match point to secure their place in the final.

With Fernandez and Gibson now preparing for the singles title match, and Tang and Xu facing Rutliffe and Sudjiadi for the doubles crown, the Singapore Tennis Open heads into its final day with two trophies still waiting to be claimed.

For Fernandez, however, Sunday represents something more personal: the chance to complete a week that began with a last-minute wildcard and has already given her back something she has been searching for all season — belief.

Image credit: WTA/ Ashok Kumar

Singapore Tennis Open 2026 runs from 19th to 27th September at The Kallang. Tickets, including ACES Club hospitality packages, are available through The Kallang, with limited weekday tickets remaining.