Leylah Fernandez defeats Liudmila Samsonova at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on February 15, 2026.

It was nearly three hours of grit, power and emotion on Centre Court as Canada’s Leylah Fernandez outlasted Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in a gripping three-set battle at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Sunday (February 15). Samsonova, ranked World No17, took the opening set 7-5 after a tense exchange of breaks. But Fernandez, ranked No27 and proudly embracing her Filipino heritage, refused to back down. The 23-year-old stormed into a 5-2 lead in the second set before Samsonova clawed her wayback to 5-5. Fernandez responded with composure, holding serve and breaking again to seal the set 7-5 and force a decider. In the third set, Fernandez surged ahead 5-0, only for Samsonova to mount another comeback. Serving for the match for a second time, Fernandez steadied herself to close it out and eliminate the 13th seed. After signing autographs for eager fans across caps, shirts and tennis balls, Fernandez reflected on the atmosphere. “It definitely felt different tonight,” she said. “I remember the past couple of years I’ve played day matches, sometimes first on, so there wasn’t a lot of fans. Today, there were a lot more and to see so many fans come watch women’s tennis means a lot, it shows the sport is growing, so I’m very happy.” Asked if Dubai feels like a second home, she smiled. “Yeah, actually – kind of. It does feel nice because you kind of feel at home. It helps a lot. Sometimes when you’re travelling so much you forget why you play tennis and fans always help you to remember. To feel that warmth, that love, and the passion that they have is a lot of fun.” The WTA 1000 tournament runs until February 21, followed by the ATP 500 event. PIA/MFD/Expat Media
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