Leylah Fernandez, the fourth seed from Canada, showcased her prowess at the WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka on Thursday, emerging as the sole seeded player to secure a place in the quarter-finals amidst a flurry of upsets. She delivered a commanding performance against Hungary’s Dalma Galfi, taking the match 6-1, 6-4 in a swift 79 minutes.
Fernandez’s dominance was evident as she won an impressive 81% of points on her first serve and successfully saved the only break point she encountered during the match. This victory marks her advancement to the quarter-finals for the fourth time this year, where she will face Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova. Sramkova, who pulled off a surprise by defeating seventh-seeded American Ann Li, came back to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 after an intense contest lasting an hour and 42 minutes.
At 28 years old, Sramkova celebrated her first victory over Li in three encounters, effectively avenging their previous meeting at the US Open two months ago. This triumph sends Sramkova into her third quarter-final of 2025, where she will seek to improve her head-to-head record against Fernandez; she previously defeated the Canadian in the round of 16 at Monterrey with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The day was not as kind to other seeded players, as both third-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium and fifth seed Marie Bouzkova from Czechia saw their tournaments come to an end. Mertens was upended by 18-year-old Czech talent Tereza Valentova, who secured her first career victory over a Top 30 player with a decisive 6-4, 6-1 scoreline in just 76 minutes of play. Valentova, competing in only her fourth WTA main draw, rallied brilliantly to win 10 of the last 11 games after falling behind 2-4 in the first set, marking her second appearance in tour-level quarter-finals.
Valentova’s next challenge awaits against Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, the eighth seed, in a bid for a semi-final spot on Friday.
In another competitive match, Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic edged out Bouzkova in a grueling battle, winning 1-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) after 2 hours and 45 minutes of action. Golubic, who recently triumphed at the Suzhou WTA 125 event, has now extended her winning streak to seven matches and leveled their head-to-head series at three wins apiece. She will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals, after Cirstea’s comfortable victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter on Wednesday, winning 7-6(3), 6-3.
As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on these emerging talents and seasoned players vying for a spot in the semi-finals, promising thrilling matchups in the days ahead.
