Victoria Mboko won three sets after she smiled and figured out what to do after she advanced to the fourth round in the first game of her career (at home, quite a few) of her career.
“I mean, the sky is the limit,” Mboko told SportsNetDanielle Michaud stands on the center court at the IGA Stadium Center Court in Montreal, and her victory is still buzzing.
No argument. No. 85 from Burlington, Ontario. Mboko is the wildcard entrance for Rogers in the National Bank Open before the crowds, and on Thursday night, Mboko was in the top 50 players crowded with the crowds, this time the world’s No. 39 Marie Bouzkova, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, becoming the only Canadian woman to enter the fourth round in her home game.
The achievement led Mboko to face off against the NBO’s Best Seed at 6 p.m. ET when she was to compete in two-time Grand Slam champion and world second-place American Coco Gauff.
It was a rematch for the young Canadian, who lost a three-pointer in Rome in 64 rounds in May.
“She’s really looking forward to this game,” one of her coaches, Noelle Van Lottum, told Michaud in an interview Friday. “She’s really ready to go to that game and see what it brings. I think [Thursday at the NBO] It was her first time in a competition in front of such a crowd. At first she was nervous, then she was open and she was really free to play. So, I think she’s excited right now. ”
Mboko’s last meeting with Gauff was her first game with the top ten players, with the Canadians winning the first game 6-3 before Gauff came back to win the game 2-6, 1-6. Mboko showed off the fight in Rome: She didn’t score in the first service match, and her game time dropped 0-2 before winning the opening match.
“Of course, this is the first time playing a girl like this, and I mean a Grand Slam champion. [Mboko] The intensity dropped, which is why she lost in the second and third [sets]. That’s also on clay; it’s another service. On a hard ground, that’s not that demanding, so I think it’s going to be a very interesting game on Saturday. ”
Mboko didn’t expect to win games against one of the world’s top five players so early in her career, let alone twice. Now, her 49-9 this season is incredible. “I never thought I would be here a few months ago,” Mboko said before the NBO began. But as Van Lottum points out: “All good players, they’re always fast.”
Since she last played Gauff, Mboko has gained valuable experience: making the final of a WTA 125 event, cracking the round of 32 at the French Open in her Grand Slam debut, beating six players ranked in the world’s top 50, playing a night match in front of a full crowd at home with fans holding up giant cardboard pictures of her smiling face, and advancing to her first Masters 1000 fourth round.
As far as she is concerned, Gauff hasn’t won an easy win in the NBO yet. She had three previous games, and she struggled in the serve-American doubles won 14 times in the third round of the win against Veronika Kudermetova and Goff won 23 in the third set tiebreak in the opener against Danielle Collins.
“She did not do well, but she managed to win, which is why the great players were there – when they weren’t doing well, they still managed to turn around and that’s what she did,” Van Lottum said. “But that’s what Victoria did [Thursday] At the beginning. It would be a great game. She will gain experience through more and more competitions. I think that will make her game better. ”
So far, in NBO, Mboko has shown her very powerful ground touch and hit the game and eliminated the winner with the monster serving. In the second round against Sofia Kenin, Mboko scored 12 A in 3 double failures and won 78% of her first serves.
She was happy to play Guff next and pointed out that the key to running this season is happiness.
“I didn’t expect that what’s certain is that Coco is an amazing player and she’s the first seed here, so I just went there like every day I’m doing and had fun in court and had fun,” she told Michaud. “I think that’s just my key.”
Mboko is the world number 337 starting this calendar year. After training in Belgium last season, she has been living at home and around her family and friends as of November 2024. This season, she won four ITF Challenger Tour titles but didn’t let go of a game, and she entered the NBO, on the hottest winning streak of any Canadian in tennis. Her sisters Gracie and coaches Van Lottum and Nathalie Tauziat cheered in Montreal, and after the latest win, Mboko thanked the crowd several times, as well as her team and family.
“I’m so happy to be here and feel very happy with myself,” she said. “I want to do my best.”
Mboko wasn’t a big goal, but before running in Montreal, she built some realistic expectations of herself. “I just want to go there, do a great job, do you know?” she told SportsNet. “Whether I win or lose, as long as I perform well, it still provides a good match for the fans.”
She has done a great job with this goal, and more.
