From Qualifying Exit to Main-Draw Upset
Mika Stojsavljevic's week in Hong Kong looked to be over before it truly began. The 17-year-old Briton had fallen in the first round of qualifying for the Hong Kong Open, but fortune intervened when Leylah Fernandez withdrew from the main draw, handing Stojsavljevic a lucky-loser spot. The catch: she found out she was competing just one hour before stepping on court.
Ranked 411th in the world, Stojsavljevic faced Sofia Kenin, the American who captured the 2020 Australian Open title and sits more than 200 places above her in the rankings. The mismatch on paper meant nothing once the match began. Stojsavljevic raced to a set and a 3-0 lead before Kenin steadied herself and leveled the contest. The young Londoner regrouped brilliantly, closing out the deciding set to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. She finished the match with six aces, six winners, and converted six of her 13 break points, while Kenin managed zero winners across the entire match.
A Rising Star With Pedigree
This result is no isolated fluke. Earlier in 2026, Stojsavljevic turned heads by defeating then-world number 56 Talia Gibson during Billie Jean King Cup qualifying in April. Her junior credentials are equally impressive: in 2024 she became the first British player in 15 years to win the US Open girls' title, a feat previously achieved by Heather Watson back in 2009. She also reached a career-high of fifth in the junior world rankings before turning professional in 2025.
Next up for Stojsavljevic is a second-round meeting with world number 67 Zeynep Sonmez, a stiff test that TennisDraw users will be watching closely as they update their Hong Kong Open bracket predictions.
