$1,500
Round-1 action begins in Tokyo.
After winning the title in Osaka last week, Leylah Fernandez will attempt to make it two in a row at the 2025 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The Canadian is set to take on former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari in the Round of 32 on Tuesday. The winner of this encounter will take on No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in the pre-quarterfinal stage. Continue reading to know all about the stats and odds for the Round-1 duel in Tokyo (via BetMGM).
Leylah Fernandez has won two titles this year – the Citi DC Open in Washington and the Japan Ladies Open in Osaka. The 23-year-old Canadian is currently the top ranked player from her country, and her win-loss record of 30-23 justifies it. After making some deep runs at the beginning of the season, the World No. 22 went under the radar during the clay court swing. After beating the likes of Pegula and Rybakina en route to her championship run on American soil, Fernandez backed it up with a win in Osaka.
Considered as the WTA’s powerhouse at one point of time, Maria Sakkari has suffered a major fall in the rankings. She has a success rate of just 45% this year – and no titles to show for it. Sakkari’s last tour-level final was in March 2024, when she lost to Swiatek at Indian Wells. Currently ranked No. 54 in the world, her best performances include quarterfinal appearances in Linz and Washington DC. The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist has come through qualifying without dropping a set to enter the main draw in Tokyo.
Maria Sakkari has a 3-1 record in the head-to-head against Leylah Fernandez. However, the Canadian won the most recent battle in Beijing, China.
| Event | Round | Winner | Score |
| 2025 Beijing | Round of 64 | Leylah Fernandez | 6-2 6-0 |
| 2024 United Cup | Round Robin | Maria Sakkari | 7-6(2) 6-3 |
| 2023 Washington | Round of 16 | Maria Sakkari | 7-5 6-2 |
| 2021 Melbourne-500 | Round of 16 | Maria Sakkari | 6-2 6-2 |
| Leylah Fernandez | Category | Maria Sakkari |
| 22 | Current Ranking | 54 |
| 227-151 | Career W-L Record | 489-331 |
| 30-23 | YTD W-L Record | 23-28 |
| 5 | Career Titles | 2 |
| 2 | YTD Titles | 0 |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
The last time Fernandez won a title, she lost in the opening round of her next competition. Fatigue could play a role yet again, as it is a quick turnaround from Osaka to Tokyo. Meanwhile, Sakkari is high on confidence after completing two dominant wins in the qualifiers. The Greek sensation will look to stay on the front foot and attack the Canadian by going to the net. If she can find the necessary depth on her groundstrokes, an upset is on the cards.
Prediction: Maria Sakkari in three sets.
The pre-match betting market heavily favors Leylah Fernandez (4/9) in the match-up against Maria Sakkari (17/10). According to the implied probability on the money line, the Canadian starts with a likelihood of 71% to win in Tokyo. Take a look at the odds (as per BetMGM):
(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: Geoff Burke, Imagn Images)
