An all-Canadian semi-final between the popular Leylah Fernandez and powerful 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, the youngest in the
tournament, will be highlight of Saurday' semi-finals at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
Second seed Fernandez, the tournament champion in 2023, beat Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-4 to move a step closer to the title in the WTA 250 tournament at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre.
Mboko, seeded third, advanced to a showdown with her fellow Canadian after her quarter-final opponent, Russian Anna Kalinskaya, retired while trailing 6-1, 3-1.
The Centre Court clash between Fernandez, 23, and Mboko is scheduled no earlier than 3.30pm.
"It's going to be an amazing match,”Fernandez said. "Victoria has been playing great all year. This match-up is simply great for Canadian tennis.”
For her part, Mboko described Fernandez as a "true model for Canadian girls."
The winner of the all-Canadian showdown will dispute the title with the winner of the other semi-final pitting Australian fifth seed Maya Joint and Spain's Cristina Bucsa.
That match is scheduled to start at 2pm.
Joint advanced to the semi-finals by beating Japan's Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, while Bucsa progressed after top seed and former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic withdrew from their scheduled match.
