Hong Kong Tennis Open: Victoria Mboko comes back to beat Alexandra Eala in thrilling maiden meeting

Victoria Mboko and Alexandra Eala delivered a gripping affair in their first matchup at the 2025 Hong Kong Tennis Open on Thursday (30 October).

It was Canada’s Mboko who prevailed in two hours and 27 minutes, the third seed coming from behind to defeat Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Hong Kong, China.

Mboko, 19, advances to the quarter-finals where she will take on world No. 35 Anna Kalinskaya for another first meeting. For 20-year-old Eala, her WTA season is over.

In their first WTA meeting and a rematch of the 2022 US Open girls’ singles semi-final, Mboko served eight aces and converted five break points, including a crucial double break on her last two return games of the match.

Though Eala showed promise on her serve, committing just two double faults to Mboko’s nine, the Filipina starlet lost momentum when she was broken for 2-4 in the second set.

The 20-year-old led 4-1 in the final set, Mboko dug deep and won the next five games without reply, converting on the first match point to seal a gutsy victory at Victoria Park Centre Court.

Click here to read article