OSAKA, Japan — The last remaining seeded player at the WTA Japan Open advanced to Sunday’s final — Leila Fernandez defeated 35-year-old Solana Cirstea 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
Fernandez broke Cirstea’s serve in the deciding set 4-4 on Saturday and held his serve in the next game to advance.
The fourth-seeded Canadian will face 18-year-old qualifier Tereza Valentois in the final. In the other semifinal, Valentova defeated Jacqueline Cristian 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3.
Cristian advanced to the last four on Friday when top seed Naomi Osaka withdrew with a left foot injury, giving the Romanian a bye in the quarterfinals.
Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up, has reached the final for the eighth time in his career. Her only semi-final appearance this season was at the WTA 500 DC Open, where she defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the final to win her fourth WTA singles title.
Fernandez lost to Coco Gauff in three sets in the second round of the China Open in late September.