Hong Kong, Nov 4 (IANS) Lucky loser Mika Stojsavljevic, the 2025 US Open junior champion, scored the first WTA main-draw win of her career on her sixth attempt when she defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the Hong Kong Tennis Open first round on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old recovered after losing a 3-0 double-break lead in the second set and then came through a close deciding set to beat the American 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. This is a second big win of the year for Stojsavljevic, who stunned then-world number 56 Talia Gibson at Billie Jean King Cup qualifying in April.
Stojsavljevic lost in the final round of qualifying for the WTA 250 event but was granted a last-minute reprieve when Canadian Leylah Fernandez withdrew from the main draw. Interestingly, the Briton was informed about her participation an hour before the match against the former Grand Slam champion.
Stojsavljevic began playing tennis at the age of seven at Ealing Tennis Club. She became the first Briton in 15 years to win the US Open junior title and made her tour debut in 2024 in Tokyo.
She reached a high of fifth in the junior world rankings and turned professional in 2025. The same year, she made her Grand Slam main draw debut with a wild card at Wimbledon and also competed in qualifying at London (Queen’s), Nottingham and Eastbourne.
Earlier this year, Stojsavljevic reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 125 event in Birmingham.
In another match, Claire Liu defeated No. 8 seed and 2024 finalist Katie Boulter 7-5, 6-4 to reach her second consecutive WTA quarterfinal following Guangzhou the previous week.
–IANS
bc/bsk/
