Diana Shnaider is through to the WTA 500 Tokyo final. The Russian defeated Slovak teenager Mia Pohankova 6–4, 7–6(7) in one hour and 46 minutes to reach her first championship match of the 2026 season.
Pohankova made the stronger start and led 4–2 in the opening set, but Shnaider changed the match with four consecutive games. The Russian landed 72% of her first serves and won 80% of the points behind that delivery, giving her the platform to take control without surrendering another break.
A set point saved in the tiebreak
There were no breaks in the second set. Pohankova reached 6–5 in the tiebreak and held a set point, but Shnaider responded under pressure. She won four of the final five points and sealed the tiebreak 9–7, preventing the semifinal from going to a deciding set.
The result ended the run of 18-year-old wild card Pohankova, who had knocked out Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals. For Shnaider, the win ended her wait for a final in 2026.
Fernandez awaits in the final
Shnaider will face Leylah Fernandez, who beat Kamilla Rakhimova 7–5, 6–3 in the other semifinal. The Russian leads their head-to-head 3–2 and has won their past three meetings, including Adelaide and Charleston this season, all in straight sets.
Official highlights of the semifinal are already available on the WTA platform. The two official WTA videos embedded in this article show Shnaider’s win over Alexandra Eala and Pohankova’s victory against Alycia Parks in the quarterfinals — the previous round, not their semifinal against each other.
