Entertainment
Victoria Mboko +3 in WTA Rankings as she seals two milestones at Hong Kong Open
Victoria Mboko has unlocked two career ranking milestones by overcoming Anna Kalinskaya to reach the semi-finals at the 2025 Hong Kong Tennis Open.
In what was the first meeting between the pair, Mboko was leading 6-1, 3-1 when world No 35 Kalinskaya was forced to retire due to physical issues.
Victoria Mboko clinches ranking milestones in Hong Kong
- Victoria Mboko reached the semi-finals at the Hong Kong Tennis Open as Anna Kalinskaya was forced to retire in the pair’s quarter-final
- The 19-year-old has guaranteed that she will move up three places to a new career-best ranking of world No 18
- Mboko’s latest victory means she will end the 2025 season as the Canadian No 1 ahead of Leylah Fernandez
Mboko started the quarter-final encounter at the WTA 250 tournament by saving a break point in the opening game and she broke Kalinskaya to take a 3-1 lead.
The Canadian then fought off two break points to hold for 4-1 before breaking her 26-year-old Russian opponent again to go up 5-1.
After Mboko served the set out, Kalinskaya had her vitals checked by the tournament doctor.
Kalinskaya staved off a break point to hold in the first game of the second set, but she lost her next service game to fall 1-2 behind.
Mboko then held from 0-40 to take a 3-1 lead, after which Kalinskaya took a medical timeout to have her vitals checked again. This time, the Russian was unable to continue and awarded the win to Mboko.
Mboko’s ranking rise
Prior to her quarter-final against Kalinskaya, Mboko had climbed one position to a projected career-high ranking of 20th in the Live WTA Rankings.
By progressing to the semi-finals, Mboko has moved onto 2,005 points, which has lifted her above Elise Mertens and Karolina Muchova into 18th place.
Mboko is guaranteed to be the world No 18 when the WTA Rankings update next week as no player can overtake her, and she cannot move up any further — even if she wins the title.
By achieving this, the 19-year-old has ensured she will finish the 2025 season as the Canadian women’s No 1, having been in contention with Leylah Fernandez — who is also still in action in Hong Kong.
Fernandez started the week as the world No 22, but she is currently 23rd in the Live Rankings due to points she is defending from the same event last year. The 23-year-old can climb to as high as 19th place if she secures the title in Hong Kong.
If Mboko had lost in the quarter-finals, Fernandez could have overtaken her by winning the title in Hong Kong.
What next for Mboko?
Mboko will face either No 2 seed Fernandez or seventh seed and world No 45 Sorana Cirstea in the semi-finals in Hong Kong on Saturday.
The Canadian is chasing her second career title to add to her stunning breakthrough victory at the WTA 1000 in Montreal.
Entertainment
Djokovic learns fate in new home as Sabalenka addresses behaviour
Express Sport brings you the latest tennis news from the Paris Masters.
We’re reaching the business end of the Paris Masters, as eight players become four in the French capital. Jannik Sinner is the overwhelming favourite to lift the trophy after Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out by Cameron Norrie in the Spaniard’s opening match. Norrie was then beaten by Valentin Vacherot, whose amazing 10-match winning streak at Masters 1000 level came to an end when he lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Canadian star Auger-Aliassime will face Alexander Bublik in the semis. Bublik defeated Alex de Minaur, who is among those to have already qualified for the year-end ATP Finals. Sinner is through to his first Paris Masters semi-final after beating Ben Shelton. He’ll face defending champion Alexander Zverev, who survived a tough match against Daniil Medvedev.
Novak Djokovic is not involved in the Paris Masters, having decided to skip the event for the second year in a row, but he has learned his fate in the draw of next week’s ATP 250 in Athens. And over in Riyadh, the WTA Finals are about to get underway.
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