Mika Stojsavljevic beats Sofia Kenin for first WTA Tour main-draw win

Mika Stojsavljevic recorded her first WTA Tour main-draw victory at the Hong Kong Open, beating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. According to BBC Sport, the 17-year-old Briton secured the breakthrough after learning only an hour before the match that she would have the opportunity to play.

Stojsavljevic had lost in qualifying but received a place in the main draw as a lucky loser. She then defeated an opponent ranked 224 places above her. The British teenager entered the contest at world number 411, while Kenin brought the experience of winning the Australian Open title in 2020.

The match required three sets, with Stojsavljevic taking the opener before Kenin levelled. A close final set ended in the teenager's favour. She saved three of the eight break points she faced. Speaking afterwards, Stojsavljevic said she had approached the unexpected opportunity by playing freely, understood the challenge posed by a Grand Slam champion and maintained confidence in her own ability.

The result adds to an earlier notable victory for Stojsavljevic this season. In April, she defeated Talia Gibson during Billie Jean King Cup qualifying, when Gibson was ranked 56th in the world. The Hong Kong win provides a separate milestone: her first victory in the main draw of a WTA Tour event.

Her progress follows a successful junior career. In 2024, Stojsavljevic won the US Open junior title, becoming the first British player to do so in 15 years, BBC Sport reported. She climbed as high as fifth in the junior world rankings before turning professional in 2025, a year after that title success.

Stojsavljevic began playing at the age of seven at Ealing Lawn Tennis Club in north-west London, having watched her brother practise. Earlier this year, she reached the quarter-finals in Birmingham at a WTA 125 tournament, the level below the main tour. She now moves into the second round in Hong Kong, where her next opponent will be world number 67 Zeynep Sonmez.