Leylah Fernandez has withdrawn from the Hong Kong Open due to a shoulder injury after an emotional few days for the Canadian.

Fernandez has had an impressive Asian Swing, winning the Singapore Open and then reaching the finals at the Ningbo Open and Pan Pacific Open in the space of a few weeks.

That has seen the 24-year-old rise to 18th in the rankings – just five spots off her career-high. On Tuesday, the left-hander posted an Instagram story proclaiming she had “Made it to Hong Kong!”.

However, the Hong Kong Tennis Open tweeted that Fernandez would not be competing at the WTA 250 event due to an injury, with former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin taking on lucky loser Mika Stojsavjevic instead.

4 NOV – 1st Match on Center Court | Latest Update

Following Leylah Fernandez’s withdrawal due to a shoulder injury, American star Sofia Kenin will face Lucky Loser Mika Stojsavljevic at 2pm. 🎾

Leylah said, ‘I am sorry to the fans who come to watch me. I hope to be back next year and play in front of you again.’

#PHKTO #PrudentialHongKong #DiscoverHongKong #WTA250 #HKCTA #HKTS #NextGenAces #GameOn #MajorSportsEventsCommittee #MSEC

— HongKong Tennis Open (@HKTennisOpen) November 4, 2026

In the tweet, a message from Fernandez reads, “I am sorry to the fans who come to watch me. I hope to be back next year and play in front of you again.”

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This caps off a difficult period for the former US Open finalist. On top of playing multiple tournaments in quick succession and missing out twice on the winner’s trophy, Fernandez revealed her grandfather passed away last weekend.

In the wake of her loss to Diana Shnaider in Tokyo on Sunday, the six-time WTA Tour title winner, whose mum Irene is a Filipino-Canadian, was in tears as she paid tribute to her beloved Lolo.

She said in her runner-up speech, “I just want to thank my family who are back home. We had some bad news today (Sunday) but thank you so much for all the support, all the messages; it really means a lot.

“And Lolo, I know you are looking down on us, so thank you for always being strong and supporting us. I know you are going to take care of us from above, so thank you.”

On Tuesday, Fernandez took to Instagram to thank fans for coming out to watch her in Tokyo, saying she had felt “so much love” from her supporters.

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A post shared by Leylah Annie Fernandez (@leylahfernandez)

This withdrawal likely means the end of her 2026 season, which has ended on a positive note after a mixed campaign. She will certainly be one to watch in 2027.

In the meantime, Stoksavljevic beat Kenin in three sets to set up a second-round clash in Hong Kong against Zeynep Sonmez.