Canadian Tennis Stars Fernandez and Mboko to Clash in Hong Kong Semifinal
HONG KONG – Leylah Fernandez and victoria Mboko will face off in an all-Canadian semifinal at the Hong Kong tournament, marking their first career meeting after a previously scheduled match in Tokyo was postponed. The highly anticipated contest pits the current Canadian No. 1, Mboko, against No. 2 Fernandez, wiht a spot in Sunday’s final on the line.
Fernandez secured her place in the semifinals with a decisive victory over Sorana cirstea, improving to 2-0 against the Romanian.After a tight first set, Fernandez surged ahead, ultimately winning 6-4, 6-4. “she always fights and she’s super aggressive, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Fernandez said after the match. “I was playing really well and then I found a couple mistakes here and there, but she also stepped it up. It was a good match and I’m just glad I got the win.” This marks Fernandez’s third semifinal appearance of 2025, and she has won the title each of the last two times she reached this stage in a tournament. She is also the defending champion in Hong Kong, having won the tournament in 2023, and has reached the semifinals for the third consecutive year.
Mboko advanced to the semifinals after Anna Kalinskaya retired due to illness early in the second set of their quarterfinal match. Mboko led 6-1, 3-1 at the time of the retirement, following earlier come-from-behind wins against Talia Gibson and Alexandra Eala. This semifinal appearance is Mboko’s second career WTA semifinal, as she chases her second title of 2025 – and her career.
“Victoria,she’s been playing super well this week,” Fernandez commented. “Not just this week,but this whole year.I’m happy I get another chance at the semifinals, and to do it against a compatriot, it feels really good. And it’s good for Canadian tennis.”
The tournament has also seen other notable developments, including the withdrawal of No. 1 seed Belinda Bencic due to a left thigh injury, which propelled Cristina Bucsa to the semifinals where she will face Maya Joint.
