Diana Shnaider to face Leylah Fernandez in WTA Tokyo Open 2026 final

Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider are set to meet in the final of the WTA Tokyo Open 2026 at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on November 1 (Sunday). The championship will decide the WTA 500 title and pits unseeded Fernandez against third seed Shnaider.

Fernandez, 24, reached the final after a 7-5, 6-3 semi-final win over Kamilla Rakhimova, recovering from early deficits in both sets, and benefitted from a quarter-final walkover against Elena Rybakina. She goes into the title match on the back of consecutive finals after finishing runner-up in Ningbo last week. Shnaider advanced with a straight-sets victory over Mia Pohankova, needing composure to close out a second-set tiebreak after trailing 6-5, and earlier defeated Alexandra Eala and Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Tokyo.

Fernandez’s semi-final scoreline was 7-5, 6-3 against Rakhimova, the result that extended her strong Asian swing and secured her place in back-to-back finals. The Canadian’s path included the quarter-final walkover from Elena Rybakina, which is noted in her tournament progression.

Shnaider’s semi-final win over Pohankova featured a decisive performance on serve, including winning 80% of points behind her first delivery, and a tiebreak comeback in the second set after trailing 6-5 to finish the match in straight sets. Her Tokyo run has involved victories over Alexandra Eala and Aliaksandra Sasnovich prior to the semi-final.

The head-to-head between the two players stands at 3-2 in favour of Shnaider, who has won their last three meetings, including two encounters earlier in 2026 in Adelaide and Charleston. The match will therefore be another meeting between two left-handed players who have both arrived in Tokyo in strong form.

The title match is scheduled for November 1 at the Ariake Coliseum and is set to begin at 12:00 PM local time (8:30 AM IST). In India the contest will be available on WTA TV (subscription) and via cable providers or streaming platforms that carry Tennis Channel India; in the United Kingdom it will be shown on Sky Sports and streamable via the Sky Sports app and NOW; in the United States the clash will be broadcast on Tennis Channel and accessible through streaming services such as FuboTV and Sling TV.