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Lars Hamer

Canada’s Victoria Mboko broke hundreds of Filipino fans’ hearts at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on Thursday, as she battled back from a set down to knock out Alexandra Eala and progress to the quarter-finals.
The world No 21’s victory came despite most of the crowd inside Victoria Park Tennis Stadium roaring on the young Philippine player in an epic second-round match that lasted two hours and 27 minutes.
The tie started at full throttle, with Eala winning three games in a row in the first set, only for Mboko to immediately do the same before the duo slugged it out over a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 scoreline.
“I want to first congratulate Alex for an amazing match,” Mboko said. “It’s never easy to play one of your friends for such a long time. So, I got a little bit emotional, but I also want to thank everyone who came to support today.”
The match also had a moment of controversy, as Eala’s second and deciding breakpoint in the first set came as Mboko argued that the partisan crowd’s cheers during a rally had distracted her, but she shrugged it off afterwards.

“I loved the support today, the match was so much more intense and super tough for me, so I think I really had to fight for every single point. And yeah, I think it was just an unbelievable match.”
The second set was played at a much slower pace than the first, but Mboko, who during it held to love three times, got a decisive break for 4-2.
As the match approached the two-hour mark, the pair showed no signs of slowing down, and the third set was all about long rallies and even longer games.
An early break for Eala – an epic game that lasted about 15 minutes and had eight deuces and 21 points – was followed by two more breaks, one for each player. Eala held, only to watch helplessly as Mboko won four games in a row and served out the match.
In the final match of the day, Hongkonger Eudice Chong’s tournament was ended by Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume, who won 6-2, 6-1.
Earlier, mainland China’s last two representatives were both sent crashing out of the tournament, as No 1 seed Belinda Bencic marched on.
The day’s first match on centre court saw Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya put veteran Zhang Shuai to the sword with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Kalinskaya was then followed by Switzerland’s Bencic, who took down veteran Wang Yafan in one hour and 16 minutes.

Bencic came to Hong Kong off the back of winning the Japan Open, and her 6-2, 6-2 triumph marks her sixth victory in a row.
“I felt good on the court,” Bencic said. “I tried to play aggressively, tried to play my game, and it worked out well. So I’m very happy to take the momentum with me.”
Bencic’s run of wins comes off the back of her missing most of the 2024 season because she gave birth to her first child.
Following her win in Tokyo, Bencic rose to world No 11 and, depending on her performance in Hong Kong, could break into the top 10.
“I think last year, exactly at this moment, I was like, ranked 913 or something,” she said. “Sometimes, you know, when you keep playing and keep playing, you always want more, like you’re kind of pushing yourself. You’re never happy.
“But then sometimes it’s nice to take a step back and to kind of also be proud of yourself, which I really am, and looking back at it, I think this comeback was more than we ever wanted.”


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Hong Kong Tennis Open: Mboko breaks Filipino hearts as top seed Bencic progresses

Victoria Mboko came back from a set down to beat crowd favourite Alexandra Eala on Thursday. Photo: Dickson Lee

Alexandra Eala won three games in a row in the first set, before Mboko did the same. Photo: Eugene Lee

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic beat China’s Wang Yafan in just over an hour. Photo: AFP

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Leylah Fernandez beat China’s Wang Xiyu in straight sets to get her Prudential Hong Kong Open campaign on the way at Victoria Park on Tuesday. Photo: Eugene Lee

World No 22 Leylah Fernandez finished the match with a first-serve rate of just 62 per cent. Photo: Eugene Lee

Belinda Bencic arrived in Hong Kong straight after winning the Japan Open on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

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James Christie on the charge during Hong Kong’s Asian Series victory over Sri Lanka in Hangzhou. Photo: Asia Rugby

James Christie training with the Hong Kong 15s squad in June. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Sport

China

Hong Kong

Tennis

Philippines’ Alexandra Eala knocked out after hard fight while Swiss No 1 continues climb into world top 10; Hongkonger Eudice Chong also out


Philippines’ Alexandra Eala knocked out after hard fight while Swiss No 1 continues climb into world top 10; Hongkonger Eudice Chong also out.


Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA)

WTA (Women's Tennis Association)

Belinda Bencic

Zhang Shuai

Hong Kong Tennis Open: Mboko breaks Filipino hearts as top seed Bencic progresses

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Philippines’ Alexandra Eala knocked out after hard fight while Swiss No 1 continues climb into world top 10; Hongkonger Eudice Chong also out

Philippines’ Alexandra Eala knocked out after hard fight while Swiss No 1 continues climb into world top 10; Hongkonger Eudice Chong also out