Post by : Mariam
Al-Faris
Canada's second seed Leylah Fernandez advanced to the Hong Kong Tennis Open quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Germany's Eva Lys on Wednesday. The 22-year-old closed out the contest in 68 minutes, facing only a single break point as her steady serving, sharp returns and quick movement kept pressure on her opponent throughout.
Fernandez now meets Romania's No.7 seed Sorana Cirstea in the last eight. Cirstea recovered from a set down to beat Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, a match that underlined her grit and experience. The forthcoming quarterfinal should be a lively encounter between two aggressive baseliners.
Also through to the quarterfinals in Hong Kong was Spain's Cristina Bucsa, who defeated Colombia's No.8 seed Emiliana Arango 6-2, 6-4 with a consistent serving display. Australia’s Maya Joint continued her run as well, edging Slovakia’s Viktoria Morvayova 6-1, 6-4 to join the final eight, confirming a competitive field as the tournament progresses.
In Jiujiang, second-seeded Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland survived a dramatic three-set battle to reach the Jiangxi Open quarterfinals, beating Russia's Elena Pridankina 6-0, 4-6, 7-5. The marathon lasted two hours and 42 minutes and featured a combined 13 double faults, but Golubic showed resilience by saving 24 of 29 break points and converting eight of 16 break chances.
Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva enjoyed a much quicker win, defeating China's Wushuang Zheng 6-2, 6-0 in 64 minutes; she will face Golubic next in a test of consistency versus stamina. Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch recovered to beat compatriot Ella Seidel 3-6, 6-0, 6-1, while Austria’s Lilli Tagger upset Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-4, 6-2 to advance.
After two days of rain delays, play resumed at the Chennai Open in India. Top seed Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey opened with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Russia's Tatiana Prozorova, steadying herself after a slow start and delivering in decisive moments to please the returning crowd.
Japan's Mei Yamaguchi led 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 when England's No.2 seed Francesca Jones retired with an injury. Poland's Katarzyna Kawa produced one of the week's surprises by eliminating No.5 seed Lucia Bronzetti of Italy. Croatia’s No.3 seed Donna Vekic moved through comfortably, beating India’s Vaishnavi Adkar 6-1, 6-2.
Indonesia’s No.4 seed Janice Tjen triumphed in a tough three-setter against Germany's Caroline Werner, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2. In another comeback, Australia's No.7 seed Kimberly Birrell recovered from a slow start to defeat Czech teenager Nikola Bartunkova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, both players showing strong mental resolve to close out their matches.
The week's WTA action has underlined growing depth in the women's game, with several emerging names making deep runs. Fernandez's form in Hong Kong, Golubic's dogged performance in Jiangxi and Sonmez's steady start in Chennai highlight an increasingly competitive global circuit as tournaments move toward their quarterfinal stages.
With Hong Kong, Jiangxi and Chennai now into the final-eight phase, the stage is set for a weekend of compelling matchups. Fernandez looks a strong contender in Hong Kong, while Golubic and Putintseva, plus Sonmez in Chennai, remain players to watch as they chase titles.
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