Victoria Mboko emerged victorious in an all-Canadian clash during the semifinals of the Hong Kong Tennis Open on Saturday. She overcame Leylah Fernandez in a hard-fought battle with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to secure her spot in the WTA final for the second time this season.
The 19-year-old Mboko showed resilience after a challenging start, improving her first-serve accuracy to dominate the latter part of the match against her 23-year-old opponent from Laval, Quebec. Reflecting on the match, Mboko acknowledged Fernandez’s impressive and aggressive play that initially disrupted her rhythm. However, she regrouped and focused on staying competitive with Fernandez, gradually gaining confidence in her own game and eventually displaying more courage in her shot-making.
Next, the Toronto native is set to square off against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the final. Bucsa secured her spot in the final by defeating Maya Joint in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) on Saturday. Mboko and Bucsa have crossed paths only once before, with Mboko claiming victory with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the first qualifying round on the clay courts in Rome earlier this year.
