Stojsavljevic, 17, beats Kenin for first WTA Tour win

British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic claimed her first WTA Tour main-draw victory by beating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in Hong Kong. The 17-year-old won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 after receiving only an hour’s notice that she would be playing, turning an unexpected opportunity into a breakthrough result.

Stojsavljevic had lost in the final round of qualifying but received a place in the tournament as a lucky loser following Leylah Fernandez’s withdrawal. That late change left her little preparation time before facing an opponent with a Grand Slam singles title and considerably more experience on the professional circuit.

The British player established a commanding early position, taking the opening set and moving 3-0 ahead in the second. Kenin recovered to force a deciding set, but Stojsavljevic held her composure to complete the victory in two hours and 19 minutes, converting her second match point.

Speaking afterwards, Stojsavljevic said the short notice had encouraged her to play freely rather than dwell on the challenge. She acknowledged Kenin’s status as a major champion but said she had trusted her own game despite having little time to prepare for the encounter.

Ranked 411th, Stojsavljevic began the match 224 places below the American. Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020, making this a notable opponent against whom to register a first main-draw success, even though the American’s current ranking is well below the heights of her championship-winning career.

The result adds to another significant senior victory for Stojsavljevic this year. In April, she defeated then world number 56 Talia Gibson in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying, while a quarter-final appearance at the WTA 125 tournament in Birmingham provided further experience at the level immediately below the main tour.

Her junior record had already brought her attention before those senior results. She won the US Open girls’ singles title in 2024, becoming the first British champion in that event for 15 years, and reached a career-high junior ranking of fifth before turning professional in 2025.

Stojsavljevic began playing tennis at seven at Ealing Tennis Club and trains at the LTA National Tennis Centre in London, according to her WTA biography. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut as a Wimbledon wild card in 2025, another step in the transition from junior competition to the senior circuit.

Her next opponent in Hong Kong is Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, ranked 67th, who defeated Dayana Yastremska in the first round. That presents another higher-ranked challenge, with Stojsavljevic now seeking to follow her maiden tour-level main-draw victory with a place deeper in the tournament.