Canada’s Victoria Mboko secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open after defeating Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in a thrilling 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 match on Thursday. With a strong performance, Mboko, seeded third, delivered eight aces and broke Eala five times, claiming victory by winning 67% of her first-serve points. The 19-year-old player hailing from Toronto will now face off against sixth-seeded Anna Kalinskaya from Russia.
Joining Mboko in the final eight is Leylah Fernandez, another Canadian player who advanced on Wednesday. Fernandez, seeded second in the tournament, dominated her match against Germany’s Eva Lys with a straight-sets win of 6-4, 6-1. Her next challenge awaits against seventh-seeded Sorana Cirstea from Romania.
In a separate event, Félix Auger-Aliassime, representing Montreal, progressed to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters on Thursday after overcoming Daniel Altmaier from Germany in a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Auger-Aliassime, seeded ninth, showed resilience by winning 87% of his first-serve points and converting three out of 10 break opportunities. Notably, he recorded seven aces and three double faults during the two-hour 11-minute match.
Reflecting on his recent performances, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the challenges he faced throughout the week but emphasized his determination to fight back and stay composed. Despite a slow start in the match against Altmaier, Auger-Aliassime adjusted his game strategy, improved his serving, and managed to break Altmaier three times in the latter part of the match, evening his head-to-head record to 2-2 against the German player.
Currently ranked ninth in the ATP Race to Turin standings, Auger-Aliassime remains in contention for a spot in the ATP Finals, with the top eight players qualifying for the prestigious event. Following his victory on Thursday, Auger-Aliassime accumulated 3,395 points in the Race to Turin standings, trailing eighth-place Lorenzo Musetti by 290 points. A win in the upcoming quarterfinal match against Valentin Vacherot from Monaco could bring Auger-Aliassime within 90 points of Musetti, with the possibility of securing a significant lead with a tournament victory.
Looking ahead, the competition for ATP Finals qualification intensifies, with limited opportunities remaining to earn points before the season-ending event commences on November 9. Vacherot, currently ranked 40th in the world, continues to impress with a 10-match winning streak at the Masters level and recent victories, including a notable win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the Round of 16. Norrie, who previously defeated world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, faced a setback against Vacherot, showcasing the competitive nature of the ongoing tennis tournaments.