HONG KONG — Victoria Mboko defeated fellow Canadian Leylah Fernandez in three sets to advance to the Hong Kong Open final.
Toronto's Mboko defeated Fernandez from Laval, Que., 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Saturday's semifinals, the first meeting between the two Canadians.
advertise
Mboko, 19, faces Spain's Cristina Busa in Sunday's final. Bucsa defeated fifth-seeded Australian player Maya Joint in straight sets.
Mboko beat Busa 6-3, 6-2 in their only meeting with Busa in the Rome qualifiers earlier this year.
Third seed Mboko defeated second seed Fernandez in 1 hour and 44 minutes and reached the WTA final for the second time this season.
Fernandez dominated early on, winning eight of the first nine games.
advertise
Fernandez hit 10 winners while Mboko hit five in the first set, when the teenager committed 14 unforced errors.
However, the tables turned in the second set, with Fernandez leading 2-1 and following a medical timeout with a bandage on her right thigh.
Mboko has since raised her game. She hit 34 of 40 first serves and didn't concede another goal.
“I didn't really get off to the best start,” Mboko said later. “But I have to give her credit – she played so well and so aggressively that it made it difficult for me to find my rhythm.
advertise
“I just wanted to be out there with her as much as possible and find a way. It slowly made me more confident in my game and I was more courageous and able to shoot the ball.”
Mboko won his third game in four games after falling behind in the first set in Hong Kong.
She appears to be back in form after winning her first WTA title at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
In Montreal, she lost four straight games with a wrist injury before reaching the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals in Tokyo last week.
advertise
Mboko ended her losing streak in Tokyo against another countrywoman, Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont.
Mboko is expected to break into the world's top 10 for the first time next week. She started the season ranked No. 333.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2025.
canadian news agency