Leylah Fernandez admitted she had to decline a doubles request from Venus Williams for the Australian Open because she was already committed with another partner. Fernandez, the No. 9 seed at the Credit One Charleston Open, first paired with Williams at the 2025 US Open and the two reunited at the Miami Open last week.

The Canadian described the difficulty of saying no to a former world No. 1 and 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion and explained how the pair kept in touch after their initial partnership. She also recounted a tough third-set tiebreak loss in Miami and the encouragement Williams offered afterward.

Q. And I just wanted to ask about the experience of playing doubles with Venus again, Miami, hadn’t played together since the US Open, how that came together again and what it was like to be back on the court with her?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Yeah. With Venus we kind of kept in contact after the US Open. We were hoping to play — well, she asked me to play in Australia, but unfortunately I was already committed with Timea [Babos], so that was it. And then I did ask if she was going to the Middle East, but she wasn’t.

So, we were kind of figuring out the perfect time to play together, and Indian Wells and Miami was the two tournaments where we could play, and unfortunately, Indian Wells didn’t happen, but there was Miami Open, and it was a lot of fun. She’s a great mentor. I mean, in the last tiebreak, the third set tiebreaker, we were up and we lost it, and I remember I had like a couple of easy shots, easy volleys, and I missed, and I was really heartbroken at the end of the match because I was like really wanted to end the day with a win. And she told me, you know, like I played great, just to keep going, keep forward. If we all had a time machine, we would use it, but we don’t, so just keep moving forward.

So with that quote, that definitely helped me to kind of recharge and look at the bright side and just keep working the next day and find ways to improve.

Q. I know Timea was a great doubles player, but how tough was it to say no to Venus Williams, though?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Yeah. There’s no disrespect to Timea. She’s an amazing doubles player. She’s had an amazing career. But it was so hard to say no to Venus because, again, she has like that big sister energy. I never want to disappoint my siblings, and saying no to them is so hard. And when her coach messaged me, I was like, oh, no! It’s two days too late! I couldn’t do it. But they understood and, again, we still kept in contact. We tried to find the perfect moment to play together.

Fernandez framed the decision as one made out of prior obligation, and she emphasized the value of the mentorship she receives when partnering with Williams.

Elena Rybakina reached a milestone this week: her 100th career week inside the WTA Top 5. It is also her third week at a career-high of No. 2.

Rybakina captured the second Grand Slam title of her career at the Australian Open earlier this year and lifted her ranking to No. 2 after a strong start to 2026. Her first entry into the Top 5 came on May 22nd, 2023, when she rose from No. 6 to No. 4 after winning the WTA 1000 event in Rome. That opening spell lasted 77 consecutive weeks before she dipped out on November 10th, 2024.

She returned to the Top 5 for two weeks from January 27th to February 9th, 2025, immediately following the Australian Open. A difficult portion of 2025 saw her struggle for consistency and even fall out of the Top 10. The season shifted after Wimbledon, however. Rybakina reached three straight semifinals in Washington D.C., Canada and Cincinnati, then closed 2025 on an 11-match winning streak that included winning the WTA Finals.

That unbeaten run in Riyadh carried her back into the Top 5, moving her from No. 6 to No. 5. This week marks her 21st consecutive week in the elite since that return, bringing her career total to 100 weeks.

Rybakina has maintained much of that late-2025 form into early 2026. Her best results so far this season are the title in Melbourne and a run to the final at Indian Wells. At Indian Wells she held match point against Aryna Sabalenka before finishing runner-up to the world No. 1 in a third set tie-break, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). After Indian Wells, Rybakina rose to No. 2.

She remains 2,917 points behind Sabalenka in the rankings, 11,025 to 8,108. The upcoming clay-court season presents an opportunity for Rybakina to press for the top ranking.

Elena Rybakina reached a milestone this week: her 100th career week inside the WTA Top 5. It is also her third week at a career-high ranking of No. 2.

Rybakina earned a second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year and moved to her new career-high following strong early-2026 form. Her first entry into the Top 5 came on May 22, 2023, when she rose from No. 6 to No. 4 after winning the WTA 1000 event in Rome. That initial run stretched to 77 consecutive weeks before she dipped out on November 10, 2024.

She returned to the elite for two weeks from January 27 to February 9, 2025, immediately after the Australian Open. A difficult stretch for much of 2025 saw Rybakina struggle for consistency and fall out of the Top 10, but her season turned after Wimbledon. She reached three straight semifinals in Washington D.C., Canada and Cincinnati, then closed 2025 on an 11-match winning streak that included the WTA Finals.

That undefeated run in Riyadh carried her back into the Top 5, moving her from No. 6 to No. 5. This week marks her 21st consecutive week in the Top 5 since that return, bringing her overall total to 100 weeks.

Rybakina has extended much of that late-2025 momentum into 2026. The highlights so far this season are her title run in Melbourne and a run to the final at Indian Wells. At Indian Wells she held match point against Aryna Sabalenka before finishing runner-up to the world No. 1 in a third set tie-break, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). After Indian Wells, Rybakina rose to No. 2.

She remains behind Sabalenka in the rankings by 2,917 points, 11,025 to 8,108, but the coming clay-court season presents an opportunity for Rybakina to press for the top ranking.