Hong Kong Open

History of the Hong Kong Open

The history of the Hong Kong Open stretches back considerably further than the modern WTA event. Hong Kong’s professional tennis story began in the 1970s, when the men’s tournament became part of the Asian Tennis Circuit and attracted major international names. Rod Laver won the Hong Kong title in 1973, while other stars to compete in the city during the early years included Ken Rosewall, Jimmy Connors, Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. The Hong Kong Tennis Association records this period as an important stage in the development of the sport locally.

The women’s tournament arrived on the international scene in 1980. Wendy Turnbull became the inaugural women’s singles champion, defeating Marcie Louie 6–0, 6–2. Turnbull successfully defended her title in 1981, beating Sabina Simmonds 6–3, 6–4. The third edition in 1982 was won by Sweden’s Catrin Jexell, who defeated Alycia Moulton 6–3, 7–5. These three editions established the Hong Kong women’s tournament as part of the developing international women’s tennis circuit.

The tournament then disappeared from the women’s calendar for a decade. There was no women’s Hong Kong Open from 1983 through 1992. It returned for one edition in 1993, when Wang Shi-ting defeated Marianne Witmeyer 6–4, 3–6, 7–5. That edition was classified as a Tier IV event on the WTA Tour. After 1993, another lengthy gap followed, with no women’s tournament taking place between 1994 and 2013.

The modern era of the WTA Hong Kong Open began in 2014, when the tournament returned to the WTA calendar following a two-decade absence. Germany’s Sabine Lisicki won the comeback edition, defeating Karolína Plíšková 7–5, 6–3 in the final. The return established Hong Kong as a regular stop on the WTA’s Asian swing and marked the beginning of the tournament’s current identity.

The 2015 tournament produced another high-profile champion. Serbia’s Jelena Janković defeated Germany’s Angelique Kerber 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–1. It was an important final because Kerber would go on to become one of the defining players of her generation, while Janković herself had previously reached world No. 1. Hong Kong was therefore already attracting players with serious pedigree only two years into its modern revival.

In 2016, Caroline Wozniacki became champion, defeating Kristina Mladenovic 6–1, 6–7(4–7), 6–2. Wozniacki’s victory added another former world No. 1 to the tournament’s list of champions. The doubles title that year went to Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan, who defeated Naomi Broady and Heather Watson 6–3, 6–1.

The 2017 edition was won by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat Daria Gavrilova 5–7, 6–3, 7–6(7–3). Pavlyuchenkova’s victory continued the pattern of established WTA competitors succeeding in Hong Kong, while the doubles title again went to the Chan sisters. Their back-to-back doubles triumphs became one of the notable achievements of the tournament’s modern period.

In 2018, Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska won the singles title, defeating China’s Wang Qiang 6–2, 6–1. Yastremska was one of the younger players to lift the trophy during this period, reinforcing the tournament’s ability to provide a platform for emerging talent. In doubles, Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai defeated Shuko Aoyama and Lidziya Marozava 6–4, 6–4.

After the 2018 edition, the tournament entered another period of interruption. The 2019 tournament was affected by the political unrest in Hong Kong, while the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the cancellation of events during 2020, 2021 and 2022. As a result, the WTA Hong Kong Open was absent from the calendar for four consecutive years after 2018.

The tournament finally returned in 2023, beginning a new chapter in its modern history. Canada’s Leylah Fernandez won the singles title, recovering from a set down to defeat Czech player Kateřina Siniaková 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. The comeback was particularly significant because Fernandez had already established herself as a major Grand Slam contender after reaching the 2021 US Open final. Her Hong Kong victory therefore gave the returning tournament a champion with considerable international profile.

In 2024, Diana Shnaider won the singles title, defeating Britain’s Katie Boulter 6–1, 6–2. Shnaider’s victory continued the remarkable variety of the modern Hong Kong Open, with each singles champion from 2014 through 2024 coming from a different country and representing a different stage of their career.

The 2025 Hong Kong Open produced another memorable final. Canada’s Victoria Mboko defeated Spain’s Cristina Bucșa 7–5, 6–7(9–11), 6–2 to claim the championship. Mboko was 19 and secured her second WTA singles title of the season. The final lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes, while the tournament’s official reporting highlighted attendance of more than 54,000 spectators during the week.

The 2025 doubles title went to Jiang Xinyu and Wang Yafan, who defeated Momoko Kobori and Peangtarn Plipuech 6–4, 6–2. Their victory added a Chinese pairing to the modern roll of honour and underlined the tournament’s strong connection with the wider Asian tennis community.

Today, the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open is officially a WTA 250 tournament played on outdoor hard courts, with 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The modern tournament returned to the WTA calendar in 2014 and has become an established part of the Asian swing. Its history is unusually eventful: a women’s tournament beginning in 1980, an early champion in Wendy Turnbull, long periods away from the calendar, a one-off 1993 return, a full revival in 2014, another interruption after 2018 and a successful comeback in 2023.

That history helps explain what makes the Hong Kong Open tennis event distinctive. It is not simply another WTA 250. It is a tournament that has repeatedly disappeared, reinvented itself and returned with a new generation of players. From Wendy Turnbull in 1980 to Victoria Mboko in 2025, its champions span more than four decades of women’s professional tennis. The trophy has passed from established former world No. 1s to ambitious young stars, giving the WTA Hong Kong Open a remarkably varied story for a tournament whose modern incarnation is still relatively young.