(October 31, 2024, Hong Kong) A ‘thrilling’ second day of main draw second round action at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open ensured a Halloween of highly entertaining Centre
Court action.

‘Feisty Cat’ Sofia Kenin simply purred through her Halloween encounter with Jessika Ponchet to book her place in the tournament quarterfinals. After a tightly-fought first set, Kenin’s ball-
striking ability began to take hold with increasing regularity and although Ponchet managed to save a match-point towards the business end of the game, it was not nearly enough to stop
the former Grand Slam champion from going through 7-5, 6-4. She now faces off against China’s Yuan Yue in tomorrow’s quarterfinal stage.

In her post-match interview Kenin explained that she was thoroughly enjoying her first tournament in Hong Kong. “Last year I was back in the US in Miami for Halloween and I dressed-up as a ‘Feisty Cat’,” she revealed. “I’m obviously too busy for costumes this year, but I am loving being in Hong Kong, everyone has been super friendly.”

There were no Halloween horrors for the tournament’s defending champion and No.3 seed Leylah Fernandez, who cruised through with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory over Australia’s Kimberly Birrell. She will next face American Bernarda Pera for a place in the semifinals. “It’s so good to be back in Hong Kong. I feel so at home here and that gives me the extra confidence to play well.” she explained. “I’ve got a tough draw ahead but I hope to put on a show for you guys tomorrow.”

Earlier in the day, a baking hot afternoon saw tournament No. 8 seed Cristina Bucsa feel the heat, despite taking the opening set. World ranked No. 91 Suzan Lamens relived her Prudential Hong Kong Tennis 125 form in also progressing into a quarterfinal slot here, as she rode her renewed momentum in the second and third sets to stage a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win, setting up a meeting with tournament No.1 seed Diana Shnaider.

“It was a tough match and very hot on court today,” explained Suzan. “I faced a lot of pressure but came through well in the last two sets. I was so glad of all the crowd’s support, thank you!” The final quarterfinal slot was booked by Anastasia Zakharova who broke No. 7 seed Varvara Gracheva four times while not having faced a single break point on her own serve, as she ran away with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory to set up her quarterfinal rendezvous with No. 2 seed Katie Boulter.

“I’m very happy with my performance. This WTA 250 tournament is a step-up for me, so to be winning through to the quarterfinals in very exciting,” she explained.

In other tournament activity, on Wednesday night Hong Kong, China Tennis Association executives hosted a ‘thank you’ dinner for prestigious tournament sponsors with an Italian gourmet menu helmed by Chef Umberto Bombana of 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana at the Champions Club's "The Culinary Room." The VIP guests were joined by Tournament director Li Na and four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.

Naomi had taken the opportunity to visit Happy Valley Racecourse to enjoy the excitement of some Happy Wednesday fun. She also explored Hong Kong, boarding a yacht to take in the stunning views of Victoria Harbour and then exploring Lamma Island, experiencing the local natural scenery and traditional village culture of the island.

At the Tournament Village today, tournament top-seed Diana Shnaider popped-in during the afternoon on her rest day to sign autographs for delighted fans at the Prudential Booth. The WTA 250 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open 2024 runs until 3 November. The Tournament Village is now open daily to the public, completely free of charge, throughout the event.

Public ticket sales are available through the online ticketing platform tickets.tennishk.org*. Gold-level tickets range from HK$220 to HK$970, with Silver-level tickets HK$160 to HK$760.
As an environmentally conscious green event, ticketing will be paperless. A 50% discount concession is available for children and the elderly on all Silver-level tickets**.

For tournament and ticketing details, please visit: https://www.hktennisopen.hk/en/

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