The third day of tennis action brought mixed fortunes for players in Chennai and Hong Kong, with drama unfolding in Jiujiang, China as well. The highlight of the day included the withdrawal of British player Fran Jones due to heat exhaustion and the advancement of several players to the quarter-finals in their respective tournaments.
At the WTA 250 Prudential Hong Kong Open, Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian No. 2 seed, continued her impressive run, winning her eighth match out of the last nine. She defeated Germany’s Eva Lys convincingly, with a score of 6-4, 6-1 in just 68 minutes. Fernandez exhibited remarkable control, facing only one break point throughout the match. Her next challenge will be against Romania’s seventh seed, Sorana Cirstea, who earned her place in the quarter-finals after a hard-fought victory over Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. Cirstea turned the match around from a set down, eventually winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 after saving several match points.
The 35-year-old Romanian, ranked World No. 45, had contemplated retirement at the end of 2025 but has rekindled her passion for the sport after lifting her second career title in Cleveland and reaching the semi-finals in Japan, which she described as pleasantly surprising given her battle back from a foot injury last year. “The older I’ve gotten, the more joy I’ve found in my tennis,” Cirstea reflected, emphasizing her commitment to adapting and competing against younger players.
In further matchups, Australia’s Maya Joint successfully navigated a challenge from Slovak qualifier Viktoria Morvayova, winning 6-1, 6-4 to reach her sixth tour-level quarter-final of the year. Spain’s Cristina Bucsa also made headlines by upsetting eighth seed Emiliana Arango with a score of 6-2, 6-4, advancing to her first quarter-final since April 2024.
Switching to the WTA 250 Chennai Open, the day was marked by extreme heat, which led several players to retire from their matches. The top seed, Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey, secured a solid opening win against Russian teenager Tatiana Prozorova, defeating her 7-5, 6-4 despite the challenging conditions. In stark contrast, Fran Jones, making her debut as the No. 2 seed, found herself unable to continue against Japanese qualifier Mei Yamaguchi. After taking the first set, she succumbed to the heat and her opponent, retiring with the score at 5-7, 6-0, 1-0.
The extreme weather also claimed other players; Maria Timofeeva retired against Lantana Tararudee while trailing, and Alina Charaeva withdrew from her match with Polina Iacenko in a similar scenario. Notably, Donna Vekic, the third seed, managed to win against lucky loser Vaishnavi Adkar after taking a medical timeout, putting her in the second round against Indian wild card Sahaja Yamalapalee.
In Jiujiang, China, two quarter-finals were decided, with defending champion Viktorija Golubic pulling off a dramatic win over Elena Pridankina in a grueling three-set match that lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes. Golubic came back from a set down, winning 6-0, 4-6, 7-5. She will face Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, who had a straightforward win in her second-round match, finishing 6-2, 6-0.
The youth of the game was showcased by 17-year-old Lilli Tagger, who impressed with her one-handed backhand to defeat Elisabetta Cocciaretto, securing a spot in the next round after a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Tagger’s opponent in the next stage will be Tamara Korpatsch, who edged past fellow German Ella Seidel with a comeback win of her own.
As the tournaments progress, players will have to navigate both the physical demands of the matches and the increasingly competitive fields, setting the stage for thrilling encounters in the days ahead.
