Unknown Canadian teen emerges as Australian Open threat
At the start of 2025, 19-year-old Victoria Mboko was ranked No.333 in the world. Now she’s No.18, with wins against Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina under her belt.
Twelve months ago, Victoria Mboko was playing low-level tennis tournaments in the Caribbean as she tried to build up her ranking.
Ranked outside the world’s top 300, her goal for 2025 was to play in the qualifiers of at least one grand slam.
Canada’s Victoria Mboko had a breakout year in 2025.Credit: Getty Images
A year later, the 19-year-old Canadian is the world No.18 after picking up two WTA titles and defeating grand slam champions Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina along the way.
“I set the bar super low for myself, and I could only do better than that at that point,” Mboko said of her 2025 season. “I just kind of kept surprising myself from there onwards, but looking back it was honestly such a blur.
“Last year felt so long, yet so short, but I’m really glad to have experienced so many of the things I got to experience last year. It helped me grow so much as a player and a person.”
Now in Sydney with Team Canada for the United Cup, before heading to Melbourne for her first Australian Open, Mboko said she had found it hard to adjust to her new status as a mainstay on the women’s professional tour.
The German, Canadian and Australian teams ahead of the United Cup in Sydney.Credit: Getty Images for Tennis Australia
“When people ask me, ‘What do you do?’ I say, ‘I’m just a tennis player’. I never say I’m a pro because it feels weird to me,” Mboko said.
“Of course, it’s a lot easier to be on the WTA tour. It’s what everyone works towards, it’s everyone’s goal, so I’m just very fortunate to be here. I’m always thankful to have the opportunity to play these kinds of tournaments.”
Canada play their first-round match against China on Sunday night, when Mboko and Felix Auger-Aliassime take on Lin Zhu and Zhizhen Zhang.
Mboko’s breakout tournament came at the Masters 1000 event in Montreal last July.
