Canada’s Victoria Mboko defeats Beatriz Haddad Maia at Adelaide International

Victoria Mboko claimed victory in the first traditional event of 2026.

The eighth-seeded Canadian defeated Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Adelaide International on Monday.

“It’s never easy to play against her,” Mboko said after the match against the world No. 39, according to the WTA Tour. “She’s a very talented player. It was a tough match for me, so to hold on today… I’m relieved.”

“She has a diverse game, is very aggressive and can hit the ball really hard. Honestly, I was just trying to hold in position as much as possible. She hit some amazing shots, too, so I have to give her credit for that. But at the end of the day, I was just trying to do my best to stay in position and fight hard for every point.”

Mboko, ranked 17th in the world, played two singles matches in the Fed Cup team competition last week. The 19-year-old is coming off a breakout year, winning her first career Tour-level event, including a dramatic win at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal.

Mboko will face world No. 33 Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in an Australian Open warm-up match on Tuesday.

Canada’s Leila Fernandez will face eighth-seeded Russian Diana Schneider in the first round on Tuesday.

On the men’s side, Canada’s Gabriel Diallo will face Italy’s Andrea Vavasoli in a first-round match on Tuesday.

Australian Open Qualifying Tournament

Marina Starcusic was the only one of four Canadians to win in the first round of Australian Open qualifying on Monday.

The player from Mississauga, Ont., defeated Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-3, 6-2.

Canadians Cadence Brace, Kayla Cross and Alexis Galarneau all lost their first sets.

Canadians Liam Draxall and Carson Branstine will compete in the first qualifying round on Tuesday.

Players need to win three qualifying matches to guarantee entry into the main draw of the season’s first Grand Slam, which kicks off this weekend.