Mboko endures Bucsa’s fightback for Hong Kong glory
Under the humid lights of Victoria Park, Victoria Mboko navigated a gauntlet of setbacks and surges to lift the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open trophy, her second of 2025 in a final that redefined endurance on the tour.
The Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open final stretched into a grueling saga on the fast hard courts of Victoria Park, where every point carried the weight of exhaustion and expectation. Victoria Mboko, the 19-year-old No. 3 seed, absorbed a torrent of adversity—errant net cords, pivotal overrules, and Cristina Bucsa’s unyielding resistance—to secure a 7-5, 6-7(9), 6-2 victory after 2 hours and 49 minutes. This marathon, the longest tour-level final of 2025 so far, capped a week of comebacks for the Canadian, who remained perfect at 7-0 in deciding sets since July, including four this tournament alone.
First set tests baseline resolve
Mboko dictated the early rhythm with crosscourt forehands that stretched Bucsa wide, building pressure after four competitive games to break for a 3-2 lead. She carved out set points at 5-2, but the Spaniard responded with sharp one-two punches, saving two and then a third at 5-4 via a decisive drive volley that leveled the score at 5-5. Regaining composure, Mboko exploited Bucsa’s mid-rally slip for a fourth opportunity at 6-5, converting when a forehand drifted wide under the mounting crowd tension, her aggressive returns thriving on the low-bouncing surface.
The opener highlighted Mboko’s tactical edge, redirecting Bucsa’s topspin with flat pace to open angles, though the first-time finalist’s depth kept rallies alive. For full match details, explore the Hong Kong Scores, Draws, and Order of play.
“Today I feel like it was such high quality tennis from Cristina,” Mboko said afterwards. “Even when she was down in the match, she was able to come back and play some amazing shots. I had to really stay in there with her and try my best to bring out my full power. I want to give huge credit to her.”
Second set ignites dramatic reversal
Bucsa faltered initially in the second, unforced errors piling as Mboko raced to 3-0 with inside-in forehands targeting the backhand wing, holding a point for double breaks. A seeming championship point vanished on challenge when Bucsa’s forehand grazed the line, sparking her revival through timed crosscourt forehands and clean volleys that disrupted the Canadian’s patterns. The tiebreak became a microcosm of chaos, with a dead net cord handing Bucsa a set point, only for another to clip wide on the ensuing point; she seized the set on her fourth chance after Mboko netted a forehand down championship point.
This swing echoed the volatility of Mboko’s prior three-set wins this week, where she had trailed a set, but here the roles flipped, demanding quick adaptation to Bucsa’s net approaches on the speedy hard courts. The Spaniard’s flat hitting gained traction, forcing higher loops from the Canadian, whose 60-14 season record reflected her growth in handling such shifts amid fading light and rising humidity.
“I will admit it was a little bit painful [to lose the second set]—but that’s tennis for you,” she reflected. “It happens. [Championship point] was just another point. Of course, there’s a lot more emphasis on it, because it’s a championship point, but she was also playing some great tennis. She came out hitting some great shots, which was out of my control. It happens.”
Decider affirms unyielding focus
Mboko entered the third with steely resolve, saving two break points in the second game via deep serves and underspin backhands that neutralized Bucsa’s returns, then breaking for 2-1 with an inside-out winner. She extended to 5-2, her forehand power carving sharp angles that the Spaniard labored to chase, though Bucsa clipped lines on two championship points to prolong the fight. Unfazed, the Canadian clinched on her fourth with a service winner, the ball skimming past as cheers swelled, outlasting the year’s prior longest final—Iga Swiatek’s 2-hour, 43-minute 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 edge over Ekaterina Alexandrova in Seoul—by six minutes.
This triumph, following her August Montreal shock, vaults Mboko from No. 350 a year ago into the Top 20 next week, her 20-10 WTA main-draw ledger a testament to hard-court mastery and mental fortitude. “The best thing you can do is just regroup,” she explained. “If I was to dwell on it too much, it would’ve affected me too much to play well in the third set, so I’m glad I was able to let it go.” In doubles, Jiang Xinyu and Wang Yafan captured their first joint title, defeating Momoko Kobori and Peangtarn Plipuech 6-4, 6-2—Jiang’s sixth WTA doubles crown and Wang’s fourth—closing the Asian swing on a high note for local fans.
