Leylah Fernandez reaches Pan Pacific Open final after straight-sets victory

Fernandez recorded a 7-5, 6-3 victory in their semi-final encounter, booking her third appearance in a WTA final this season. She will now have the opportunity to collect her second trophy of the year when she competes in Sunday's showpiece match.

Fernandez is waiting to discover her opponent, with third seed Diana Shnaider set to face teenage prospect Mia Pohankova in the remaining semi-final.

The 23-year-old previously captured the Singapore Open title in September, defeating Talia Gibson in straight sets to secure her first championship of the campaign.

She also reached last week's Ningbo Open final but was unable to overcome Elena Rybakina, who claimed a straight-sets victory.

Fernandez's progress in Tokyo included a quarter-final walkover after Rybakina withdrew from their scheduled meeting on Friday.

The Kazakh had secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking with her second-round victory on Thursday, guaranteeing the achievement before pulling out of the tournament.

Fernandez will now look to put last week's disappointment behind her and finish another strong run with a second title of the season. 

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