Canada’s Victoria Mboko and Leylah Fernandez have advanced to the second round of the women’s singles draw at the Hong Kong Open. Mboko, seeded third in the tournament, staged a comeback to defeat Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4 in almost two hours on Tuesday. The 19-year-old from Toronto, who clinched the National Bank Open title in Montreal in August, delivered 19 aces and capitalized on four out of five break-point opportunities in her victory. She is set to face the winner of the match between Britain’s Katie Boulter and Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the second-seeded Fernandez secured a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over Wang Xiyu of China in her opening match. The 23-year-old from Laval, Quebec, is scheduled to play against Germany’s Eva Lys in the second round.
In a separate event, Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime stayed in contention for the ATP Finals by claiming a first-round victory at the Paris Masters tournament. Auger-Aliassime rallied to defeat Argentine qualifier Francisco Comesana 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3. Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo also triumphed, beating Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4, while Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ontario, suffered a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 loss to Joao Fonseca. Auger-Aliassime’s win narrowed the gap to 440 points behind eighth-place Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP Race To Turin standings, where the top eight players qualify for the season-ending event in Italy.
Auger-Aliassime, who recently won an ATP 250 event in Belgium, will face France’s Alexandre Muller in his next match. Diallo, ranked 42nd globally, will confront sixth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia after defeating Griekspoor. Fonseca, who defeated Shapovalov, emerged victorious in the Basel tournament and became the third-youngest player to win an ATP 500 event.
Valerie Camillo is set to assume the role of the new chair of the WTA Tour and WTA Ventures in November, succeeding retiring chair Steve Simon. Camillo expressed her excitement for the opportunity, emphasizing the importance of upcoming decisions that will shape the future of women’s tennis. She brings a wealth of experience, having held executive positions with various sports organizations, including the Philadelphia Flyers and the NBA.
