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Paul McNamara

Sofia Kenin continued her end-of-year resurrection with a no-nonsense straight sets victory over Jessika Ponchet to set up a Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open quarter-final tie with China’s Yuan Yue on Friday.
American Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion and former world No 4, dropped to 168 in the rankings last month following a chastening 2024.
She lost nine straight matches from January and had not progressed beyond the last-16 of any tournament before unexpectedly reaching the final of a WTA500 event in Tokyo last week.
On Thursday, Kenin blended aggression with guile, as she showed flashes of her grand-slam winning tennis to beat Ponchet 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes on Victoria Park Tennis Stadium’s centre court.
“I have had lots of ups and downs, but I have a great support system of family and friends, which really helps me,” Kenin told the Post.
“I am happy things are clicking, but I’d love 2025 to be sustainable so I am getting wins at every tournament instead of having my back against the wall and playing clutch tennis.
“The match play [over the past 10 days] has helped me and last week has played a role in this week, even though I am more exhausted than in Tokyo.
“I didn’t expect much of myself because of fatigue, but I will keep going.”

Kenin lost the Tokyo championship match to China’s Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, after playing with heavy strapping around her right thigh.
The 25-year-old insisted the issue was “just soreness” and she “definitely wanted to come to Hong Kong to see what I could do after Tokyo”.
And Kenin, a French Open runner-up in 2020, hoped her momentum would prevail over Yuan’s fresh legs, after the world No 45 enjoyed a rest day following her epic second-round win over Nao Hibino on Wednesday.
As for Zheng, the only player to beat her in seven matches, Kenin, who has climbed to world No 88, tipped the 22-year-old to follow her into the major-winners stable.
“She definitely can [win a major] – she has a big game and is a really smart player,” Kenin said.
Kenin insisted she was “doing what I can” to overcome her thigh problem, and there were no visible signs of discomfort as she purposefully bustled about the court against Ponchet.
Kenin decisively broke Ponchet at 5-5 in the opening set, after first enjoying a slice of fortune when a ball at the net fell in her favour at 30-30, then forcing her opponent to overhit a forehand following a shuddering back-of-court exchange.
Kenin consistently hit the baseline as she upped the ante in set two, but it was a deft backhand lob after drawing Ponchet to the net that earned the crucial break for 2-1.

One match point went begging on Ponchet’s serve, but Kenin made no mistake in game 10, the decisive moment coming when the Frenchwoman stopped mid-rally to errantly question a call on her own baseline.
“I played better than in the first round,” Kenin said. “[As a grand slam champion] you expect more of yourself and, in my mind, it is normal to be in the quarters, but it is not easy.”
Suzan Lamens, meanwhile, beat No 7 seed Cristina Bucsa 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 25 minutes to set up a last-eight meeting with No 1 seed Diana Shnaider. Defending champion Leylah Fernandez will play Bernarda Pera in the quarter-finals after flattening Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 6-2.
Russian Anastasia Zakharova will battle Katie Boulter for a semi-final spot after shocking No 7 seed Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-1 on court No 1.


Key to Zheng Qinwen beating Coco Gauff in WTA Finals lies in killer serve, cutting out mistakes

Players at Hong Kong Open looked tired, should manage their schedules better, says Li Na

Li Na says players ‘loved’ Hong Kong Open, calls for improvements to Victoria Park

Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open: Shnaider blitzes Boulter to claim title in one-sided final

Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open

Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open: rejuvenated major champ Sofia Kenin on Victoria Park roll

Sofia Kenin is playing down concerns over the condition of her right thigh. Photo: AFP

China’s Yuan Yue stands between Sofia Kenin and a Hong Kong Tennis Open semi-final spot. Photo: Elson Li

Defending champion Leylah Fernandez will play Bernarda Pera in the quarter-finals. Photo: AFP

Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open: jet-lagged Zakharova eyes title bid after 14-hour journey

Anastasia Zakharova heads into the quarter-finals of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on a 12-match win streak. Photo: HKCTA

Varvara Gracheva (left) and Anastasia Zakharova shake hands after their last 16 match. Photo: HKTCA

Hong Kong Open: Katie Boulter ‘out of my comfort zone’ but ‘loving incredible Hong Kong’

Hong Kong is Katie Boulter’s 23rd and final individual tournament of a year that brought the 28-year-old her first WTA500 title. Photo: Elson Li

Boulter has gained a legion of new fans on Victoria Park Tennis Stadium’s centre court. Photo: Elson Li 

Boulter outlasted China’s Wang Xinyu over two sets on Wednesday to book her last-eight spot. Photo: Elson Li 

Prudential Hong Kong Open: Boulter ‘proud’ of defiant victory over Chinese star Wang Xiyu

Katie Boulter crunches a forehand during her victory over Wang Xiyu on Wednesday. Photo: Elson Li

 An impressed Boulter tipped her vanquished Chinese opponent for a “great future”. Photo: Elson Li

Boulter will play either Varvara Gracheva or Anastasia Zakharova in Friday’s quarter-finals. Photo: Elson Li

Naomi Osaka eyes grand slam seeding, more wins, expects to be fit for Australian Open

The four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka trains with some young player in Causeway Bay. Photo: Elson Li

Despite being injured, Naomi Osaka came to Hong Kong to see her ‘wonderful fans’. Photo: Elson Li

Sport

Tennis

The American world No 88 will meet Yuan Yue of China in quarter-finals, with Leylah Fernandez set to continue title defence against Bernarda Pera


The American world No 88 will meet Yuan Yue of China in quarter-finals, with Leylah Fernandez set to continue title defence against Bernarda Pera.


WTA (Women's Tennis Association)