Victorious Victoria Mboko clinches championship; Jiang Xinyu and Wang Yafan capture doubles crown
(Hong Kong) A packed Victoria Park Centre Court witnessed the arrival of a new star of the game as 19-year-old Victoria Mboko powered her way to championship victory in what was a spectacular demonstration of truly top-class tennis. The thrilling singles finals match provided the fitting end to what has been a showcase for Hong Kong tennis, with multiple sold-out sessions and over 54,000 spectators in attendance throughout the week, capping off a perfect conclusion to the Hong Kong Tennis Season’s "Super October."
Making her first appearance at the Hong Kong tournament, Victoria clinched her second WTA Tournament win of the year, after her WTA 1000 victory earlier in the season, in what has been an incredible break-out year for the young Canadian teenager.
But she certainly didn’t have things all her own way, as Cristina Bucsa fought her all the way in what was ultimately a dramatic finale to a week of outstanding tennis.
An ultimately close first set had seen Mboko get off to a flying start, breaking her opponent early and racing to an early lead, before Bucsa found her rhythm to claw herself back before Mboko broke her again to take the opening set 7-5.
But it was a second-set thriller that had the crowd on the edge of their seats as Mboko and Bucsa valiantly battled it out, with Bucsa first pulling herself back from the brink in saving championship point in a dramatic nerve-shredding tie-break that swung back-and-forth, before she clinched the deciding tie-break point to 9-11 to level the game.
But in a closely fought final deciding set, it was Mboko with a remarkable ability to pull on her service game to great advantage at critical moments and dig deep to produce shots on high-pressure points in deciding games, that ultimately prevailed, serving out her final service game to clinch her Hong Kong championship title 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 on her debut tournament appearance.
Receiving her championship trophy from Mr. George Tsoi, Commissioner for Sports, of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, a delighted Mboko took the applause of an enthusiastic Centre Court crowd who showed their appreciation to both deserving players. “Wow, what a match!” exclaimed Victoria. “Cristina really pushed me to my limits. She was playing really solid and aggressive tennis, so that was a simply incredible game!”
“It has been an amazing week here,” she said. “The location is stunning here in Hong Kong, being so close to the city and the harbour. It’s certainly one of the best 250 tournaments out there.”
A gracious and valiant runner-up, Cristina remarked, “I am very proud to have made the final. It has been a great year for me. I want to thank everyone for their support. This is the best 250 tournament in the world and I will be back. See you next year!”
Earlier in the day, cheered on by an enthusiastic Centre Court crowd, China’s dynamic doubles duo Jiang Xinyu and Wang Yafan rounded off a tremendous week of doubles tennis to claim the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025 Champions Trophy with a convincing win over Japan’s Momoko Kobori and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech 6-4, 6-2.
Playing together in a WTA doubles tournament for the first time since January's Australian Open, Jiang Xinyu and Wang Yafan used today's victory to demonstrate they are well prepared and have high hopes for a good run at the 2025 National Games.
Receiving their champions trophies from Mr. Ivan Choi, Prudential Hong Kong Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, the pair thanked the fans for their support. “It’s been a tremendous week for us, thank you to everyone,” said Jiang. While a delighted Wang promised, “See you next year!”
The WTA 250 event provided local players with opportunities to compete in international tournaments in their hometown. 5 Team Hong Kong, China players participated, including Eudice Chong, Cody Wong, Justine Leong, Maggie Ng and Kallista Liu. They had the chance to compete and rub shoulders with world-class players, gaining valuable experience in the process. Eudice Chong and Cody Wong progressed through to the tournament’s second round in doubles for the very first time. In the singles, Eudice Chong advanced to the second round for the first time, taking her first WTA 100 scalp in Holland’s Suzan Lamens.
The 2025 Hong Kong Tennis Season has further demonstrated the ability to deliver highly-diverse world-class mega-event tennis and experiences that has seen the world’s best in the sport visiting the city. And the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open this week capped a culmination of activities over ‘Super October’ that has also showcased the very best of Hong Kong hospitality, along with its unique status as dynamic cultural, and arts, events and tourism destination.
A host of returning international players, along with many new faces visiting the city for the first time, have enjoyed exploring the iconic tourist spots renowned the world over, whilst also participating in supporting the grass-roots of the game with tennis clinics and meet-and-greet opportunities with young players, schools and tennis fans in the local community.
And there is more thrilling tennis action to come in the Hong Kong Tennis Season. Fans can now look forward to the upcoming ATP 250 men’s tournament, which will take place in January 2026 at the Tennis Centre Court of Victoria Park.
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