On a day marked by withdrawals and retirements at the Prudential Hong Kong Open, tournament organizers and fans alike may be a little eager for at least one match to come to a natural end.
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They got their wish.
Second-seeded Leila Fernandez and seventh-seeded Sorana Cistea battled it out in two close sets on Friday, with Fernandez sealing a 6-4, 6-4 victory in one hour and 44 minutes to seal the quarterfinals.
The win sets up an all-Canadian semifinal between Fernandez and Victoria Mboko.
“Victoria, she played really well this week,” Fernandez said after the game. “Not just this week, but all year long. I'm happy to get another chance in the semifinals and to play against compatriots, it feels really good. It's good for Canadian tennis.”
Mboko advanced earlier in the day after Anna Kalinskaya withdrew due to illness in the second set of the quarter-finals. Mboko led 6-1, 3-1 at the time.
Fernandez uses second-set offense to defeat Cirstea
When Fernandez faced Cirstea in Osaka a few weeks ago, she dominated the first set, but her play dipped in the second, ultimately winning in three sets. This time, her goal was to avoid the extra miles.
After breaking serve late in the first set to lead 4-3, Fernandez won six of the next seven games to take the first set and lead 4-0 in the second.
Costia saved two match points after trailing 5-1 on serve and pushed forward late, breaking Fernandez and winning three consecutive games to narrow the gap to 5-4. But Fernandez kept his cool and sealed the victory with a stunning backhand winner on his second service opportunity.
“She fights all the time and is very aggressive, so I know it's not going to be easy,” Fernandez said. “I played really well and then I found some mistakes, but she stepped up as well. Overall, it was a good match and I'm happy that I got the win.”
Fernandez improved his record to 2-0 against Cirstea and reached the Hong Kong semifinals for the third consecutive year after winning the event in 2023.
It's also her third semifinal appearance in 2025, and it's worth noting that she's won the title the past two times she's advanced this far in the tournament.
Mboko reaches WTA semifinals for second time after Kalinskaya retires
However, Mboko will try to deny Fernandez another title shot as she chases a second title in 2025 and her career in the final race of the season.
The 19-year-old advanced to the quarter-finals with back-to-back comeback wins over Talia Gibson and Alexandra Ella. Against Kalinskaya, she took control early, winning the final five games of the first set after an exchange of holds to start the match.
Mboko once again took the lead in the second set, but Kalinskaya was blocked and eventually stopped the game. Mboko entered the WTA semifinals for the second time in his career.
It was a day after top seed Belinda Bencic withdrew early from the tournament with a left thigh injury, one of two withdrawals or withdrawals that ended her season and sent Cristina Busa to the semifinals. Bucsa will face Maya Joint, who reached the semifinals for the fifth time in 2025, defeating Himeno Sakatsume in three sets.
Canada's No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle for a spot in the finals
The opponent in the other semi-final is Canada's top two players: Mboko, currently ranked No. 1, and Fernandez, ranked No. 2.
While the distinction between Canada's top players won't be on the cards in this game, a spot in Sunday's final and the chance to end the season on a final high note certainly will be.
The winner will also receive face-to-face bragging rights. Although they were due to meet in Tokyo earlier this month, a reshuffled draw postponed their first professional meeting.
Now, the wait is over.