Elena Rybakina Steamrolls Leylah Fernandez, But Is a Teenage Nightmare Waiting?

Another day, another dominant performance from Elena Rybakina. It feels like we’re saying that a lot lately, doesn’t it? This time, it was Canada’s Leylah Fernandez who was on the receiving end of a classic Rybakina takedown at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The final score? A cool 6-4, 6-3. If you blinked, you might have missed it. The whole affair wrapped up in a tidy hour and 28 minutes, which is barely enough time to finish your overpriced stadium popcorn.

Fernandez, fresh off her own victory at the Japan Open in Osaka, probably came into this match feeling pretty good about herself. And why not? She’s a fighter, a crowd-pleaser, and she just snagged her fifth career title. But here’s the thing about facing Rybakina: your good vibes and recent trophies don’t mean a whole lot when she’s in the zone. It’s like bringing a really well-made knife to a cannon fight. Sure, the knife is impressive, but the outcome is rarely in doubt.

Rybakina was, for lack of a better term, a brick wall. She never trailed on the scoreboard. Let that sink in. For the entire match, she was in the driver’s seat, calmly and methodically dismantling Fernandez’s game plan.

Dropping her serve only once, she showed the kind of ruthless efficiency that has become her trademark. It’s almost unsettling to watch. There’s no drama, no wild emotional swings, just a relentless, powerful assault that leaves opponents looking shell-shocked. It’s the tennis equivalent of a terminator: it has a mission, and it will not stop until that mission is complete.

So, What Happened to Fernandez’s Momentum?

Look, let’s not pile on Leylah. Winning a tournament is exhausting, and turning around to face the world No. 7 is a brutal draw. She tried to make a match of it, hitting some impressive backhand winners that showed flashes of the player who captured hearts (and a title) just days ago. You could see the fire, the desire to compete. But every time she landed a punch, Rybakina just absorbed it and fired back a cannonball of a forehand.

It’s a tough pill to swallow for Fernandez fans, who were likely hoping her winning streak would continue. But this is the top tier of women’s tennis. One week you’re on top of the world, and the next you’re getting a masterclass from a Kazakh powerhouse. It’s a humbling sport, and today, Rybakina was the teacher.