There is no better way to start a swing on the tennis calendar than with a title, and that's exactly what Leylah Annie Fernandez did last week as the WTA Tour landed in Asia.
The Asian swing marks the final major shift on the WTA circuit, and one of the last ones on the ATP side, but the Canadians showed last week that they are going to give it their all right to the end of 2026.
Here's what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: First Title of 2026 for Fernandez
Leylah Annie Fernandez has had success during the Asian swing in the past, but her victory last week at the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open was her best result yet. The Canadian No. 1 dropped just one set on her way to the title, her first of the season.
The victory in Singapore is Fernandez's third in Asia in her career but, at the 500 level, the biggest as her two previous wins in Hong Kong and Osaka were both 250s. It is the second 500-level title overall of the Lavalloise's career.
Fernandez was brilliant in Singapore, not dropping a set on her way to the semifinals. In the quarters, she scored her second win in as many months over Roland-Garros champion Mirra Andreeva, having also knocked out the world No. 5 on home soil in Toronto in August. She dropped her only set of the tournament in the final four, rallying for a three-set win over Roland-Garros runner-up Maja Chwalinska before finishing off the run with a routine victory over Talia Gibson.
The 24-year-old is up to six WTA Tour titles in her career with the win. She has also now won at least one title every year for five consecutive years dating back to 2021 and has reached at least one final every year since 2020.
Fernandez was not the only Canadian to get off to a strong start in Asia last week. Denis Shapovalov had one of his best results of the season at the ATP 250 event in Chengdu, China, reaching the semifinals.
Seeded seventh, he beat Tallon Griekspoor and Vit Kopriva in straight sets on his way to the quarter-finals, where he overcame Adrian Mannarino in three sets to reach the semis. There, his run ended with a three-set loss to Hubert Hurkacz.
Click here for more news from the ATP and WTA Tours.
What to Watch: Auger-Aliassime Heads East
The Asian swing picks up this week with a 1000 on the WTA side and a pair of 500s for the ATP.
Leylah Annie Fernandez will look to keep rolling after her win in Singapore. She is seeded 23rd at the China Open in Beijing and will face either Kamilla Rakhimova or a qualifier after a first-round bye. Her first potential seeded opponent is No. 10 Iva Jovic in the third round, with No. 8 Iga Swiatek possibly waiting in round four.
The Lavalloise is the lone Canadian woman competing in singles in Beijing. The doubles draw has not yet been made.
There is also a men's event in Beijing at the 500 level. Félix Auger-Aliassime will return to ATP Tour action there after guiding Canada into the Davis Cup Final 8 just over a week ago. He is seeded second but has a brutal first-round matchup against Karen Khachanov, a rematch of the US Open second round a few weeks ago. Khachanov won that matchup in four sets.
If Auger-Aliassime gets his revenge, he could face another recent opponent in round two, Arthur Rinderknech. The pair just faced off in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Second Round in Quebec City, with the Canadian coming out on top in three sets. Seventh seed Learner Tien is Auger-Aliassime's projected quarter-final opponent, with No. 4 Flavio Cobolli on his half of the draw as a possible semifinal opponent. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is the top seed.
Over in Tokyo, Denis Shapovalov will look to build on his strong showing in Chengdu at the other ATP 500 event. He opens against local wildcard Sho Shimabukuro and could face No. 7 seed Tommy Paul in the second round. If he pulls that upset, he would likely face top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
Under the Radar: 125 Final for Arseneault and Lacasse
While Canada was held titleless on the other tours last week, there were a couple of close calls.
Ariana Arseneault and Raphaelle Lacasse went on a wild run at the WTA 125 event in Porto, Portugal, reaching the doubles final. The pair barely made it out of round one, winning the match tiebreak 16-14, before upsetting the fifth seeds Gabriella Da Silva-Fick and Tenika McGiffin in the quarter-finals in two tight sets.
In the semis, they again fought through a match tiebreak, although this time a far less dramatic 10-6, to reach the final. There, they came up just short against the local favourites, fourth-seeded sisters Francisca and Matilde Jorge from nearby Guimaraes, 10-3 in the match tiebreak.
At the WTA 125 level, it was the biggest final of Lacasse's career to date. It was the second final at that level for Arseneault.
20-year-old Ellie Daniels reached her first professional singles final last week at the W15 event in Monastir, Tunisia, and came within a set of her maiden title. She dropped just one set on her way to the final, that being in her second-round upset of fifth seed Anastasia Bertacchi.
Read also: Auger-Aliassime Heroics, Rune Return Among Top Stories from Davis Cup Weekend
Her run came to an unfortunate end, however, as Daniels was forced to retire down 0-2 in the deciding set of the final against Ekaterina Dotsenko.
Daniels will look to bounce back this week where she is once again competing in Monastir along with five other Canadians.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo: WTA Tour
