Canada’s Victoria Mboko secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open by defeating Alexandra Eala of the Philippines with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday. Mboko, seeded third, showcased an impressive performance with eight aces and breaking Eala five times while maintaining a 67% first-serve points win rate. The 19-year-old athlete from Toronto will now face off against Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in the upcoming round.
Mboko’s advancement adds to the Canadian presence in the final eight, joining Leylah Fernandez. Fernandez, seeded second in the tournament, also progressed to the quarterfinals after a convincing straight-sets victory of 6-4, 6-1 against Eva Lys of Germany. Her next challenge awaits against Sorana Cirstea of Romania.
Meanwhile, Félix Auger-Aliassime from Montreal advanced to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters by overcoming Daniel Altmaier of Germany with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The ninth-seeded player from Montreal displayed a strong performance by winning 87% of his first-serve points and capitalizing on three out of 10 break opportunities. Auger-Aliassime’s victory included seven aces and three double faults in a two-hour 11-minute match.
Auger-Aliassime’s recent success follows his previous match against Alexandre Muller of France, where he secured a hard-fought victory with a reliance on 21 aces. Despite facing challenges, Auger-Aliassime maintained composure and strategic gameplay to secure the win.
Currently ranked ninth in the ATP Race to Turin, Auger-Aliassime remains in contention for a spot in the season-ending ATP Finals. His victory in Paris earned him 3,395 points in the standings, positioning him 290 points behind eighth-place Lorenzo Musetti. A win in the upcoming quarterfinal match against Valentin Vacherot would bring Auger-Aliassime closer to securing a spot in the ATP Finals.
Following the Paris Masters, the opportunities to climb in the ATP Race standings are limited, with only a couple of ATP 250 events remaining before the ATP Finals commence on November 9. Vacherot, ranked 40th in the world, continued his impressive form with a victory over Cameron Norrie, extending his winning streak at the Masters level. Norrie, who recently defeated world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, faced an early exit in the quarterfinals.
The upcoming matches promise intense competition as players strive to secure their positions in the ATP Finals amidst the evolving dynamics of the tennis season.