An unlikely spotlight is shining on the WTA 125 in Hong Kong this week, with World No 8 Emma Navarro taking a wild-card to enter the field, while former World No 1 Simona Halep makes her return to the women’s tour here.
I felt the weight a little bit after more than 70 matches this year. I had 10 days before Wuhan, so I figured, instead of just practising, why not come to Hong Kong and play some more matches? Emma Navarro
Navarro’s decision to compete in the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis 125 came after her early exit from the China Open, and the 23-year-old American caught some flack over her choice, some arguing that her participation was denying lower-ranked players the opportunity to compete.
After an impressive North American hard-court swing, where she reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Open, Abierto GNP Seguros, and the 2024 US Open, Navarro struggled to maintain her form at the China Open, suffering a straight-set defeat in the 1st-round to home favourite Zhang Shuai.
“I had a tough loss in Beijing – it was a tough part of a long season after I made a deep run at the US Open, which was new and exciting,” she said. “The turn-around after that was a little bit difficult; it felt good practising at home, but it’s always different getting back out on the match court.
“I felt the weight a little bit after more than 70 matches this year. I had 10 days before Wuhan, so I figured, instead of just practising, why not come to Hong Kong and play some more matches?”
Tennis podcaster Myles David spoke out against the World No 8’s decision on X: “Can someone explain to me how Emma Navarro, currently the 8th best player on the women’s tennis tour, is a top seed at a Challenger level (below top tier) tournament in Hong Kong next week?”
In response, Donna Vekic’s coach, Pam Shriver, backed Navarro’s decision, explaining that competing in a WTA 125 event is a smart strategy to avoid the long gap ahead of the next WTA 1000 tournament.
“We thought about playing this challenger too if a first-round loss in Beijing. These 1000s over two weeks can mean a long wait until next tournament,” Shriver wrote. “Playing the 125 is smart.”
As the top seed in Hong Kong, the American aims to secure her second tour-level title of the year, having previously won in Hobart at the start of the season.
Navarro starts her campaign against Viktorija Golubic on Wednesday, marking her first encounter against the Swiss.
Golubic enters Hong Kong with a 17-17 match record this year, with her best result being a 3rd-round finish at the Australian Open.
In the 2nd-round, the winner will face Australia’s Kimberly Birrell, who beat Chinese qualifier Yang Yidl, 6-2 6-0, on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Navarro is enjoying trying more local food and hiking in Hong Kong during her first visit to the city.
“It’s always cool to see a new city that I’ve never been to,” said the 23-year-old, who is from New York. “I was excited about the food and wanted to try xiaolongbao [before I came].
“I also love noodles and fried rice and we had dim sum last night, so my expectations have been met.”
Former World No 1 Simona Halep is making her return to the WTA Tour in Hong Kong this week
© Simion Sebastian Tataru/AFP via Getty Images
Fellow high profile player, Simona Halep, who returned to the tour earlier this year after being out for almost 2 years over a doping issue, is also visiting Hong Kong for the first time.
The Romanian said she had heard a lot of good things about the city, and was excited about the chance to explore.
“What I want to experience here is, first, the tennis and the tournament,” the 2-time Grand Slam champion said. “Great conditions and I’m really happy that I’m here.
“I would also like to visit something because everybody was talking super nice about this city to me, so I’m curious to see everything that I can in this week.”
Hong Kong will be the first tournament for the Romanian in just over 4 months, after she injured her knee at the Trophee Clarins, a WTA 125 event in Paris in May, after returning from her doping suspension.
“I had been playing every day for one month already and doing work to get stronger, so I felt good and ready,” she said. “But you never know during matches – it’s different with the practice, so I just want to take it slow to see how it’s going to be like.”
The 33-year-old Romanian was cleared to return to tennis with immediate effect after her 4-year ban for an anti-doping violation was reduced to 9 months in March.
She returned in Miami, where she bowed out in the 1st-round to Spain’s Paula Badosa, losing 1-6 6-4 6-3
“It’s been two years and it’s not easy to come back after such a long period, but I’m happy to be back,” the former French Open and Wimbledon champion said. “It’s good to see the colleagues and the tour again, and it’s good to see all the people that I was growing up and playing with for 15 years, almost beautiful.”
As she bids to win her first match since her return to competition, Halep will face Australia’s Arina Rodionova in the 1st-round on Wednesday, and could potentially meet Navarro in the quarter-finals.
The No 2 seed, Clara Burel from France, however, failed to get off the mark on Tuesday, and was upset by Japan’s Nao Hibino, 6-2 7-6(5).
