On a day marked with withdrawals and retirements at Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, tournament organizers and fans alike were perhaps a bit eager for at least one match to reach a natural conclusion.

Hong Kong: Scores | Draws | Order of play

They got their wish.

No. 2 seed Leylah Fernandez and No. 7 seed Sorana Cirstea battled through what ultimately ended up being two tight sets before Fernandez closed the door on a 6-4, 6-4 victory in 1 hour and 44 minutes to cap quarterfinal Friday.

The win sets up an all-Canadian semifinal between Fernandez and Victoria Mboko. 

“Victoria, she’s been playing super well this week,” Fernandez said after the match. “Not just this week, but this whole year. I’m happy I get another chance at the semifinals, and to do it against a compatriot, it feels really good. And it’s good for Canadian tennis.”

Mboko advanced earlier in the day after Anna Kalinskaya retired due to illness early in the second set of their quarterfinal match. Mboko led 6-1, 3-1 at the time.

Fernandez uses second-set surge to dispatch Cirstea

When Fernandez faced Cirstea a couple of weeks ago in Osaka, she dominated the first set, but her play dipped in the second before eventually winning in three sets. This time, she would be aiming to avoid the extra mileage.

After breaking late in the first set to lead 4-3, Fernandez won six of the next seven games to take the opener and jump ahead 4-0 in the second set.

Cirstea saved two match points while serving down 5-1 and mounted a late push, breaking Fernandez and winning three straight games to close the gap to 5-4. But Fernandez stayed composed and sealed the win with a superb backhand winner in her second opportunity to serve for the match.

“She always fights and she’s super aggressive, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Fernandez said. “I was playing really well and then I found a couple mistakes here and there, but she also stepped it up. It was a good match overall, and I’m just glad I got the win.”

Fernandez improves to 2-0 against Cirstea and reaches the Hong Kong semifinals for the third straight year after winning the tournament in 2023.

It’s also her third semifinal of 2025, and it’s important to note she won the title each of the last two times she advanced this far in a tournament.

Mboko reaches second WTA semifinal following Kalinskaya retirement

Mboko, however, will try to prevent another Fernandez title run as she chases her second title of 2025 — and her career — in the season’s final tournament.

The 19-year-old entered her quarterfinal with back-to-back come from behind wins over Talia Gibson and Alexandra Eala. Against Kalinskaya, she took control early, winning the final five games of the first set after the players traded holds to begin the match.

Mboko built another lead in the second set before a hampered Kalinskaya finally pulled the plug, sending Mboko to her second career WTA semifinal.

It was one of two retirements or withdrawals on the day after No. 1 seed Belinda Bencic withdrew earlier with a left thigh injury, ending her season and sending Cristina Bucsa to the semifinals. Bucsa will face Maya Joint, who outlasted Himeno Sakatsume in three sets to reach her fifth semifinal of 2025.

Canadian No. 1 versus No. 2 for a spot in the final

The other semifinal features Canada’s top two players: Mboko, the current No. 1, and Fernandez, close behind at No. 2.

And while the distinction of top Canadian won’t be on the line in this match, a spot in Sunday’s final, as well as the chance to end the season on the ultimate high note, certainly will be.

The winner will also claim head-to-head bragging rights. Though they were slated to meet in Tokyo earlier this month, a reshuffled draw postponed their first career meeting.

Now, the wait is over.