Aug 15, 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA ; Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan returns a shot against Leylah Fernandez of Canada on day four of the Cincinnati Open.

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Elena Rybakina vs. Leylah Fernandez Head-to-Head Record, Prediction and Betting Odds for WTA Citi DC Open 2025 Semifinal

Rybakina def. Frech, Fernandez def. Townsend in QFs.

Aug 15, 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA ; Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan returns a shot against Leylah Fernandez of Canada on day four of the Cincinnati Open.

No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina will face 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez in a blockbuster semifinal at the 2025 WTA Citi DC Open on Saturday. The American capital will play host to the third career contest between these two WTA mainstays, as they look for a spot in Sunday’s summit clash. The winner of this match will take on either Raducanu or Kalinskaya in the final. Find out all you need to know about the Rybakina-Fernandez rivalry, the predictions and betting odds – via BetMGM.

Beginning the year with two semifinals and a quarterfinal in her first four tournaments, Elena Rybakina couldn’t take it to the next level. It was only in May that the 26-year-old Kazakh won her first trophy of the season in Strasbourg. The 2022 Wimbledon champion has fallen to No. 12 in the rankings, having once been World No. 3. She has an impressive 33-13 record in 2025 – including wins over Mboko and Frech here in DC.

Finishing in style 💫

Elena Rybakina fires her 36th winner to move past Frech, 6-3, 6-3 and reach her first Washington semifinal.#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/QdlNnX62K5
— wta (@WTA) July 26, 2025

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez will be featuring in her first semifinal of the year on Saturday. The 22-year-old made waves upon beating three Top-5 players during her journey to the 2021 US Open final – including defending champ Naomi Osaka. Her best performances prior to the Washington Open include quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi and Nottingham. Currently ranked No. 36 in the world, Fernandez will be gunning for a seeding at Flushing Meadows this year. The southpaw defeated Joint, top seed Pegula and Townsend en route to the final four.

Can't stop, wont stop 😤

Leylah Fernandez defeats Townsend 6-4, 7-6(4) to advance to the Washington semifinals.#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/9RdWwX88GS
— wta (@WTA) July 25, 2025

Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez Head to Head Record

The head-to-head record between Leylah Fernandez and Elena Rybakina is currently 1-1. The Washington DC semifinal will be the third tour-level meeting between the two stars.

Rybakina and Fernandez have only battled it out on hard courts thus far. At the quarterfinals of Doha in 2024, the Kazakh powerhouse thrashed her Canadian counterpart in straight sets to take an early advantage in the duel. However, Fernandez came roaring back in the Cincinnati Round of 32. She saved match point en route to a famous victory on American soil.

Event	Round	Winner	Score
2024 Cincinnati	Round of 32	Leylah Fernandez	3-6 7-6(3) 6-4
2024 Doha	Quarterfinal	Elena Rybakina	6-4 6-2

Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez Career Comparison

Elena Rybakina	Category	Leylah Fernandez
1	Grand Slams	0
9	WTA Singles Titles	3
0	WTA Doubles Titles	0
2	WTA-1000 Titles	0
SF (Tokyo 2020)	Olympics Best Performance	R3 (Paris 2024)
No. 12	Current World Ranking	No. 36

Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez WTA Citi DC Open 2025 Prediction

While Rybakina has been striking the ball fearlessly, Fernandez is brilliant when it comes to altering direction and pace. The Canadian drew errors out of seasoned singles players like Pegula and Townsend to progress to this stage. However, she will find it hard on Rybakina’s serve – particularly if the Kazakh can land a high percentage of first serves. While she will look to nail her slider serves to push Rybakina out wide, the 6’0” powerhouse is likely to outhit her Canadian counterpart.

Prediction: Elena Rybakina in straight sets.

Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez WTA Citi DC Open 2025 Betting Odds

Rybakina starts this match as the firm favourite against underdog Fernandez. According to the pre-match market, she has over double the chances to advance in comparison with her opponent. Here are all the important odds for this semifinal clash (as per BetMGM):

Elena Rybakina Win: 7/25
Leylah Fernandez Win: 11/4

Total Games >20.5: 4/5
Total Sets <2.5: 4/9
Fernandez +4.5 (Game Handicap): 4/5
Rybakina to Win 2-0: 8/11

(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)

(Image Credits: Susan Mullane, Imagn Images)

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Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.