Leylah Fernandez Stuns Top Seed Mirra Andreeva to Reach Singapore Open Semifinals With Help From Filipino Fans

SINGAPORE — Leylah Fernandez pulled off a major upset Friday night, defeating Russian top seed Mirra Andreeva 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semifinals of the Singapore Open, crediting the crowd's support for helping carry her through the match's tougher stretches.

The Canadian world No. 31, who has Filipino roots through her mother's side of the family, advanced to her first tour-level semifinal of the season with the win. She will next face French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska on Saturday. Fernandez entered the WTA 500 event as a wild card and now holds a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over Andreeva, having also eliminated the Russian in the third round of last month's Canadian Open in Toronto.

Despite the early exit of Filipino star Alex Eala earlier in the tournament, Center Court remained packed for Fernandez's match, with fans continuing to rally behind her throughout the evening. Fernandez, whose maternal grandfather is from Ilocos Norte and whose maternal grandmother hails from Leyte, said the crowd's energy played a direct role in helping her get through difficult moments during the match. "Of course, that helped me tremendously during those tough moments, those moments where I was making mistakes," Fernandez said. "I just kept hearing everyone cheering me on and screaming my name, and it just gives me that enjoyment, that motivation to keep going, and of course my motivation, my goal is to always put on a good show for all the fans here."

The match itself was not without late drama. The 24-year-old Fernandez had built a 5-3 lead in the second set before Andreeva mounted a late fightback, narrowing the gap before Fernandez ultimately closed out the 7-5 set to seal the win. Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion and world No. 5, showed her frustration during the match, throwing her racket at one point as Fernandez continued to press her advantage.

Andreeva's elimination came just a day after third-seeded Eala was upset in the round of 16 by unseeded Russian player Tatiana Prozorova on Thursday night. Prozorova, ranked 180th, advanced to the semifinals after ousting China's Wang Xinyu in three sets, continuing a tournament that has already produced multiple significant upsets among the higher-seeded players in the draw.

With Andreeva's exit, Maja Chwalinska, Fernandez's semifinal opponent, is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament. Chwalinska reached the semifinals by sweeping fourth-seeded and defending champion Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-2 earlier in the day, a dominant performance that positions her as a significant test for Fernandez heading into Saturday's match.

The tournament's other semifinal spot remains undecided, with seventh-seeded Greek player and former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari set to face Australian Talia Gibson for the final berth in the draw.

Fernandez's run in Singapore continues a season in which the 2021 US Open finalist has looked to rebuild momentum on tour, with Friday's win over a top-five player marking one of her most significant results of the year. Her connection to the Philippines, through her maternal grandparents, has continued to generate strong local support during her appearances in the region, a dynamic reflected clearly in the crowd reaction that greeted her performance against Andreeva on Friday night.

Fernandez's semifinal matchup against Chwalinska on Saturday will pit two players in strong current form against one another, with Chwalinska carrying momentum from her decisive win over the tournament's defending champion into the match. For Fernandez, advancing past a Saturday semifinal would put her into her first tour-level final of the season, continuing what has already become one of her more notable tournament runs in recent months.

The Singapore Open has produced a series of unexpected results throughout the week, with the elimination of both Eala in the third round and Andreeva in the quarterfinals reshaping what had initially appeared to be a more predictable path toward the tournament's final rounds. With Chwalinska now standing as the highest remaining seed in the draw, and Fernandez continuing to draw strong crowd support behind her, the tournament's final weekend is shaping up to feature a field considerably different from what may have been anticipated when the draw was first announced.

With her semifinal against Chwalinska set for Saturday, Fernandez will look to build on Friday's victory and the sustained crowd support that helped carry her through a tightly contested second set against one of the tour's top-ranked players.