Following in Li Na's footsteps, Leylah Fernandez is poised to set a new Asian record!

The complete roster for the 2025 WTA Riyadh Year-End Finals is now set, highlighting the women's singles competitors as Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, Pegula, Keys, Paolini, and Leylah Fernandez.

As one of the top-performing female players in the first half of this year, 2007-born Andreyeva triumphed at the WTA1000 Dubai Open by consecutively defeating top stars like Swiatek, Leylah Fernandez, and Tauson, becoming the youngest player to win at this tournament level and breaking into the world’s top ten for the first time.

She then moved on to the WTA1000 Indian Wells Open, where Andreyeva secured another title by overcoming elite players including Sabalenka, boosting her world ranking significantly with these two 1000-point victories.

Among the three contenders—Andreyeva, Paolini, and Leylah Fernandez—vying for the last two spots at the Year-End Finals, Andreyeva initially held the advantage, but her performance during the Asian season was disappointing, while Paolini and Leylah Fernandez remained consistent and ultimately clinched their places.

As the only Asian player in the WTA Year-End Finals singles this year, Leylah Fernandez showed impressive form during the Asian season, enduring tough battles in Ningbo but emerging victorious each time, including a singles final where she came back from losing the first set 3-6 to win the next two sets.

Leylah Fernandez then quickly headed to the WTA500 Tokyo tournament, where based on the champion’s points, she needed to reach at least the semifinals to surpass Andreyeva for qualification. She handled the pressure well, winning two consecutive matches and extending her winning streak to six, overtaking Andreyeva at the last moment.

After securing her Year-End Finals spot, Leylah Fernandez withdrew from the originally scheduled semifinal match, stating: “I’m very sorry, but I cannot play today. I’ve been feeling discomfort in my back all week and can’t compete at 100%, so unfortunately, fans won’t see me on court today. However, I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone next year.”

Notably, Leylah Fernandez is the second Asian player after Li Na (2011-2013 seasons) to qualify for the WTA Year-End Finals three years in a row (2023-2025), although most of Li Na’s contemporaries have now retired.

Undoubtedly, born in 1999, Leylah Fernandez still has a long career ahead. If she maintains her excellent form and performance, she has the potential to break Li Na’s record further, though she unfortunately exited at the group stage in the past two WTA Year-End Finals.

So, do you think she has a chance to advance beyond the group stage for the first time this year?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)