It’s always great to see new talent taking the lead! Victoria Mboko is making waves this year on the WTA tour. She burst into form with five ITF titles from January to March, including a sizzling 22-match win streak without dropping a set. By June, she had already cracked the WTA Top 100. Mboko grabbed her first WTA main-draw win in Miami, battled top-10 stars like Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff, and made her Grand Slam debut at Roland-Garros, reaching the third round. Wearing Canadian colors in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, she won both her singles matches. On her rise, Mboko said, “It’s only a matter of time,” and now top players echo the same about her future. But at home, her family sees things differently.

Eighteen-year-old Victoria, now world No. 85, was one of seven Canadians to nab a WTA 1000 main-draw wild card. She was born in North Carolina but grew up in Toronto and proudly reps Canada. Playing at home powered her up. The cheers from fans gave Canada’s young star an extra jolt. Mboko delivered, knocking out Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 7-5, 6-3 on a scorching Centre Court. So, what’s her secret?

In her press conference after beating Birrell, Victoria Mboko stayed humble about the win. “I really enjoy playing at home; I feel confident seeing that I can win matches at important tournaments. My family gives me a lot of peace of mind; they instill good off-court routines in me and always make sure I stay humble. They often tell me I’m not as good as I think I am,” she said. That’s one way to stay grounded, but against Birrell, Victoria really was that good!

The Canadian served up a masterclass against Birrell, firing down 15 aces—some clocking over 180 km/h—and mixing in forehand winners that energized the crowd for over 90 minutes. She started fast by breaking Birrell straight away to take a 2-0 lead, though Birrell fired back with a break of her own. Both held serve until crunch time, when Mboko turned it up and broke again to steal the first set, 7-5.

Riding the momentum, Victoria Mboko snagged an early break in the second set thanks to a double-fault from Birrell that handed her a 3-1 edge. She capitalized, stayed rock-solid on her own serve, and never let Birrell back in.

With this win, the 18-year-old improved to 46-8 this season in all competitions! But even with that calm, cool exterior, one player still managed to rattle her nerves ahead of the French Open.

Victoria Mboko reveals nerves while taking on the World No.2

At the Italian Open, Victoria Mboko gave Coco Gauff a real scare, taking the first set in their thrilling opening match. Gauff praised Mboko’s game, saying, “I don’t want to say she plays like me ’cause she obviously doesn’t. We’re like closer in age. I would say on the movement side athletically she’s one of the best athletes on tour.” The battle lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes, with Gauff eventually winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

For Victoria Mboko, the experience was nerve-wracking. Reflecting at Roland Garros during her third qualifying round, she said, “It’s obviously a really great compliment especially coming from her because honestly I felt during the match she was a lot better of an athlete than I was and it kind of made me feel a little bit insecure on court.” But there’s no denying that Coco’s words hold weight.

In their Rome match, Gauff took an early 2-0 lead with a break, but Mboko fought back, matching her defense and firing sharp shots to pressure Coco into errors. The 18-year-old took control, leading 5-2, and sealed the set with a net-cord forehand after Gauff double-faulted twice at 5-3.

It was only Victoria Mboko’s second WTA 1000 main draw, yet she’d already been impressed by nearly upsetting then-No. 11 Badosa in Miami and climbing nearly 200 ranking spots in a year!

Talking about her clash with Coco, Mboko said, “I mean, to have gone three sets with her, to kind of shake things up in the match, I think was a little bit better confidence for me, seeing what I can do and what I need to improve on at the end of the day so I’m really grateful to have played her and I gained a lot of experience from that match.” She’s not just a fan of Gauff’s rise but also soaking in lessons from her own journey.

Now, Mboko faces American Sofia Kenin, the tournament’s 23rd seed and the 2020 Australian Open champion, in the Round of 64. With her growing confidence and fierce determination, can Victoria Mboko pull off a stunning upset? Tell us what you think in the comments!