Canada’s Victoria Mboko secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open by defeating Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday. Mboko, seeded third, showcased a strong performance with eight aces and breaking Eala’s serve five times while maintaining a 67% first-serve points won rate. The 19-year-old from Toronto will now face off against Russia’s sixth-seeded Anna Kalinskaya.
Joining Mboko in the quarterfinals is her compatriot Leylah Fernandez, seeded second in the tournament. Fernandez advanced on Wednesday with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 victory over Eva Lys of Germany and is set to play against Romania’s seventh-seeded Sorana Cirstea next.
In a separate match, Félix Auger-Aliassime from Montreal progressed to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters after overcoming Daniel Altmaier of Germany 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The ninth-seeded Montreal native bounced back after losing the first set, dominating with seven aces and converting three out of ten break opportunities. Auger-Aliassime’s victory followed a tough battle in the previous round against Alexandre Muller of France, where he secured a win with 21 aces.
Auger-Aliassime expressed his perseverance throughout the tournament, acknowledging the challenges he faced and the need to stay focused and composed. With his win, he remains in contention for a spot in the ATP Finals, currently ranking ninth in the ATP Race to Turin standings. A victory over Valentin Vacherot in the quarterfinals could significantly boost his chances of qualifying for the season-ending event.
Following the Paris Masters, opportunities to earn points for the ATP Finals are limited, with only a couple of ATP 250 events remaining before the season finale. Vacherot, currently ranked 40th in the world, continued his impressive form with a win over Cameron Norrie of Britain, extending his winning streak at the Masters level. Norrie, who recently defeated world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, faced tough competition in the quarterfinals against the in-form Vacherot.
