Leylah Fernandez has a message for her Filipino fans straight after winning the Singapore Open title

Leylah Fernandez has given a shoutout to her Filipino fans after beating Talia Gibson in the final of the Singapore Open.

After one hour and 38 minutes, the Canadian defeated the Australian 7-5, 6-0. Fernandez is now a six-time WTA champion, and has just clinched her second WTA 500 title.

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She shared her delight at clinching the top prize at the Singapore Open, shouting out the locals and the Filipino fans after going all the way. Fernandez has enjoyed great support from the nation throughout her career, and that was certainly on show this week.

Leylah Fernandez thanks Filipino fans after Singapore Open title

After triumphing in the final, Fernandez said on court: "I would like to thank all the Singaporean fans and the Pinoy fans who came to watch this whole week. Not only my matches, but everybody's matches. You guys made this week extremely special with all your encouragement, the energy, and the positivity that you brought in everyone's matches. It truly meant a lot. Thank you for coming to watch women's tennis, and hopefully, you guys get to watch many more matches live and in person too."

And in a classy touch, she said of her opponent: "I would like to congratulate Talia and (her) team. You guys did an amazing job. You're an amazing player and an even better person, so congratulations. I'm sure you're going to have many more finals, and hopefully you're going to get a couple more titles too. You're playing amazing, so continue on the right path. You're doing good."

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It is a welcome return to the WTA winner's circle for Fernandez, who enjoyed a sensational run in Singapore. She was the sixth seed at the event, which she started by beating Kyoka Okamura and Alycia Parks. The eventual champion then knocked out top seed Mirra Andreeva and Maja Chwalinska, with her only dropped set arriving against the French Open finalist. It represents her first success since Osaka last year, and will help the Canadian star make a return to the WTA top 30.

Thanks to her Filipina heritage, Fernandez enjoys a close connection with fans from the Philippines, and is well aware of how supportive they are of their players on tour. That is namely Alex Eala, who has rapidly become one of the most popular figures in the sport.

Eala also entered the WTA 500 tournament in Singapore, but lost her opening match to Tatiana Prozorova. She has already moved on to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where she starts her gold medal chase against Patcharin Cheapchandej.

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