There has been a changing of the guard in the WTA rankings – and perhaps off the court, too – between two of the sport’s most respected teenagers.
With her run to the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open, Victoria Mboko – who recently broke into the top 10 – will rise to at least world number 9 next week. Mirra Andreeva, currently ranked eighth, lost in the third round. Andreeva was the defending champion at Indian Wells, which means she has 1000 points off the board and will fall to number 10 at best.
At just 19 years old, Mboko is doing all the right things on the court and talking all the right things about it. In between, the Canadian crushed Grand Slam runner-up Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-1 in the fourth round on Tuesday.
“There are many things that I am facing for the first time,” said Mboko during his interview in court. “To come out here playing top 10 players, playing the top players in the world, it’s really an honor. I’m very excited to compete at a high level. Keep it up.”
Soon, Mboko got another chance to show that he is at the top level in this game as he prepares to face number 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday. In time, Mboko’s next shot at Grand Slam glory will come at the French Open this spring. He is currently the 10th favorite (+2800) to lift the trophy at Roland Garros, while Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka are the top two favourites.
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As for Andreeva, she was once the darling of the WTA Tour – with her infectious smile and charming conversations. He was winning a lot, too. However, now the decline of the relative has coincided with emotional breakdown and anger.
Both were shown at Indian Wells. The 18-year-old suffered a mental breakdown during her 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 loss to Katerina Siniakova on Monday, breaking one racket in the match and another after it. He left the court to cheers and whistles from his fans, who responded with insults.
“I’m not really proud of the way I handled it,” admitted Andreeva in a press conference after the match. “It was for me – for everyone, basically. I mean, after a loss, I get really angry, so sometimes I say those things to myself. I mean, first to myself, of course, but then, yeah, there was anger coming out. Just a lot of emotions – not really to anyone.”
The Russian has a lot of work to do in an attempt to get back into the good plans of tennis fans. Getting his game back to where it was in 2024 and the first half of 2025 would also help.
