Russian Diana Schneider made up for the loss of the second set to win today (Sunday) over Canadian Laila Fernandez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win the Pan Pacific Open tennis championship title in Tokyo.
Schneider, ranked 13th in the world, won the first set easily, but she appeared in trouble after losing the second, and was forced to defend 3 break points at the beginning of the decisive set, before clinching the victory within two hours and 18 minutes.
The Russian regained her balance in the third set, and broke her opponent's serve twice, before taking a 5-2 lead and deciding the confrontation from the first opportunity she was given to win the match, celebrating her title with a calm movement with her fist.
The 22-year-old Russian player won 6 consecutive final matches in the WTA tournaments.
The Tokyo title represents the Russian player's first coronation since winning the Monterrey Championship in August 2025, after she failed to reach the final during 4 previous appearances that ended in the semi-finals this year, before she succeeded in overcoming that obstacle in the Japanese capital.
On the other hand, Fernandez entered the final match after achieving 16 victories in the last 20 matches she played, including winning the Singapore Championship title last September, and reaching the final of the Chinese Ningbo Championship last week, when she lost to world number one Elena Rybakina.
The Canadian suffered from fluctuations in her serve during the confrontation, as she committed 5 double faults, and the success rate of her first serve did not exceed 50 percent during the opening set, but she showed great determination in the second set before retreating in the face of Schneider’s superiority in the decisive set.
Schneider said: “I would like to thank and congratulate my coach who is here with me for achieving our first title this season. This definitely means a lot to me, it is a great achievement and a great end to the season.”
The Canadian player, who won the Singapore Open last September, said: “I would like to congratulate Diana. Congratulations. It was an amazing week and a great match. Congratulations to you and your team. “I hope we have more confrontations like this.”
Mexican boxing legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez regained the World Boxing Council super-middleweight title, after defeating Frenchman Cristian Mbelle by unanimous decision of the judges, in the main fight hosted by the “Kingdom Arena” in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, at dawn on Sunday, after a confrontation that extended to 12 rounds that witnessed French supremacy in periods of the first half, before the Mexican boxer imposed his experience and control in the decisive rounds, and returned to the world podium after losing his titles to the American Terrence Crawford 13 months ago.
The dream of Mbele, the interim World Boxing Council super-middleweight title holder (less than 76.203 kilograms), evaporated after he was unable to overcome the experience of Alvarez, who managed the fight competently and decided it in his favor on points.
In the presence of thousands of fans, led by Counselor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, and elite football stars and officials, the three referees decided the result of the confrontation in favor of Alvarez with scores of 115 vs. 112, 116 vs. 111, and 117 vs. 110, making the 36-year-old Mexican world super-middleweight champion for the third time, after a performance in which he relied on the accuracy of rebound punches, smart movement inside the ring, and the ability to Dealing with the offensive pressure that his French rival was famous for.
Alvarez was deeply affected after the announcement of the result, after he returned to his possession one of the world belts that he had collected throughout his career spanning more than two decades, and he found it difficult to express his feelings in front of the members of his team who surrounded him to celebrate the victory.
“It is very difficult to explain this feeling, very difficult to describe,” Canelo said. It's unbelievable. I feel like it's my first title. Now, after 20 or 21 years of professionalism, and 16 years after winning my first world title, here I am winning the title again.”
The Mexican boxer's words came to reflect the importance of victory at a different stage in his career, after he lost the undisputed world championship to Crawford in Las Vegas 13 months ago, and entered the confrontation with Riyadh as a challenger for the title for the first time since 2022, in a test that pitted him against a younger champion who possesses physical strength and the ability to throw a large number of punches.
Alvarez thanked his coaching team, and specifically mentioned Eddy Reynoso and Tchipo Reynoso, who accompanied him during important stages of his career, saying: “I am very proud of my team. Eddy Reynoso and Tchipo Reynoso, who made me the person I am today and made me the champion I have become. Thank you so much for everything, Eddie.”
He also thanked his family in Mexico, before the interviewer joked with him that his wife warned him not to return home without the championship belt, to which he responded with a smile: “I won that title!”
When he was asked if he would change anything about his performance during the twelve rounds, his answer was brief and decisive: “No, I gave a perfect performance.”
The confrontation began with a calculated rhythm from both sides, after Mbele entered the ring first, despite entering as the defending champion, wearing red pants and a black shirt, before Alvarez appeared among his team and accompanied by the Mexican artist Tito Double B, in an entry that was characterized by calm compared to the celebratory performances that he used to present before his major fights.
The start of the confrontation was preceded by a ceremony playing the national anthems of Saudi Arabia, France and Mexico, before referee Hector Avo gave his final instructions to the boxers.
In the first round, Alvarez imposed his presence in the middle of the ring, and appeared calmer and more precise in choosing his strikes, taking advantage of his lateral movements and directing quick combinations of punches, including a powerful left hook, while Mbele needed time to enter the atmosphere of the confrontation.
CompuBox statistics revealed that the Mexican succeeded in landing ten punches out of 24 attempts during the opening round, compared to seven successful punches by the Frenchman out of 43 attempts, which reflects Alvarez’s superiority in accuracy despite his opponent’s more numerous attempts.
But Mbele began to regain his rhythm in the second round, after he increased the rate of offensive punches and succeeded in reaching his opponent more, while Alvarez relied on choosing the appropriate moments to deliver single strikes, in a close round in which the advantage tended to the Frenchman.
Mbele continued to improve during the third round, benefiting from his ability to combine punches and continuous pressure that pushed Alvarez to the ropes in some periods, but the Mexican showed clear skill in escaping from tight corners and moving away from danger areas, while maintaining the accuracy of his strikes.
The fourth round witnessed a continuation of the close competition, after the Frenchman focused on body strikes and increased the intensity of his attack, while Alvarez seemed relatively comfortable in the defensive position, but he did not throw a sufficient number of offensive punches, relying on evasion and searching for an opportunity to deliver an effective counterattack.
Mbili finished the round strongly, taking advantage of his speed and activity, but the Mexican maintained his presence through more precise strikes, in a confrontation that began to reveal a clear difference between two styles. One is based on intensity of attack and constant pressure, and the other is based on economy of movement and good choice of punch.
In the fifth round, Mbele returned to the offensive initiative, and succeeded in keeping Alvarez under pressure through successive sets of punches, while the two sides exchanged body blows without either of them being able to make a decisive shift in the course of the fight.
By the sixth round, Alvarez began to impose his style more clearly, after he presented a balanced defensive and offensive performance, taking advantage of his ability to fight while retreating, and to deliver accurate counter-blows that stopped his opponent’s rush.
The fight reached its midpoint amid a great convergence in level, as the unofficial card awarded both boxers 57 points after six rounds, an indication of the rivalry that preceded the decisive shift in the second half.
The seventh round came to announce the beginning of the Mexican's clear superiority, after he presented his best moments in the confrontation, and his stronger counter punches began to have a tangible impact on Mbele.
Alvarez succeeded in delivering a quick set of blows near the ropes, concluding with a strong upward punch with his right hand that directly hit his opponent and upset his balance, in one of the most prominent technical moments during the fight.
In the eighth round, the confrontation witnessed an arbitration decision that sparked controversy, after referee Hector Avo deducted a point from Mbele's score for directing a punch to the back of Alvarez's head, following protests from the Mexican boxer.
Alvarez also had an additional stop during the round, which disrupted the French champion's rhythm, and raised questions about the impact of refereeing decisions on the course of the confrontation, which was still close at that stage.
After deducting the point, the difference in the unofficial card widened to 77 versus 74 in favor of Alvarez at the end of the eighth round, after the Mexican benefited from his technical progress and the penalty imposed on his opponent.
In the ninth round, the attacking pressure that Mbele was famous for decreased noticeably, and Alvarez became able to impose the rhythm that suits him, after the intensity of the punches that gave the Frenchman an advantage in some of the first rounds had almost disappeared.
The Mexican took advantage of this decline to continue collecting points, at a time when Mbile seemed unable to regain the initiative or impose the physical confrontation he needed to overturn the result.
In the tenth round, Alvarez presented a technical display characterized by confidence and calm, using the front punch accurately, and directing calculated counter-blows, with short and effective movements that kept him out of the range of his opponent’s punches whenever he tried to advance.
The Mexican's experience was clear in managing distances and controlling the course of the fight, after he succeeded in reading Mbele's movements and anticipating his offensive attempts, entering the final two rounds with a comfortable lead.
In the eleventh round, Alvarez continued his control, while the Frenchman was unable to find technical solutions that would restore his superiority.
American coach Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, well-known in boxing circles, commented on Mbele’s performance, saying: “Mbele is lucky because this is not the Canelo we saw between 2018 and 2021, otherwise the fight would have already ended with him being stopped.”
He added that the French boxer did not perform well, considering that he overthought inside the ring at the expense of implementing his usual offensive style.
As the twelfth and final round began, Mbele needed a knockout to save his title, but he did not show the rush expected from a boxer who built his reputation on continuous pressure and attacking his opponents without stopping.
On the other hand, Alvarez seemed ready to receive and respond to his rival's attacks, and even left him spaces to advance, but the Frenchman remained hesitant to engage in strong exchanges, so the confrontation ended without a shift in the balance of control.
The unofficial card gave Alvarez the victory with a score of 117 to 110, which is the same result recorded by one of the official judges, while the other two cards came with a smaller margin, but they all confirmed the Mexican’s right to the crown.
Thus, Alvarez completed his return to the international podiums from Riyadh, after he succeeded in overcoming a younger competitor, and regained the World Boxing Council super-middleweight belt, adding a new chapter to a career that spanned more than twenty years and witnessed him winning world titles in four different weight categories.
