The Grand Slam debutant continues to turn heads with a statement victory on the Paris clay.
©Cédric LecocqVictoria Mboko bt Lulu Sun 6-1, 7-6(4)
First Grand Slam main draw, first Grand Slam victory. Victoria Mboko is a name set to grace the major results sheets for plenty of years to come.
The 18-year-old dismissed world No.45 Lulu Sun 6-1, 7-6(4) on Sunday to earn a second round spot.
In just the second point of the match, Mboko slid across the left tramline and ripped a backhand down the line. It was some signal of intent.
Whether she was on the run, the back foot or stepping in, the Canadian was making the rallies very uncomfortable for her higher-ranked opponent.
With just 25 minutes on the clock, Mboko had clattered 10 winners to snatch away the opener.
Even in the second set, when Wimbledon 2024 quarter-finalist Sun kept pushing, Mboko saved five break points in a mammoth 14-minute hold for 3-3. She simply wasn’t going to flinch.
Into the tie-break and Mboko excelled as the front runner, crouching to connect with one last crunching backhand on match point to prompt a roaring celebration.
There is a strong French connection in the Mboko camp.
The teenager crossed paths with former world No.3 Nathalie Tauziat as a junior when the Frenchwoman started working at Tennis Canada. Now Tauziat, a quarter-finalist at Roland-Garros in 1991, has been nurturing this unique talent as coach.
Also, Mboko revealed that major winners Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu have inspired her rapid rise.
©Cédric Lecocq / FFT“I feel like when I was a lot younger watching tennis a lot on TV, I always saw Serena kind of winning everything. It was easy for me to look up to her as a role model. She was such an icon at the time,” the Canadian said.
“I really loved the way she used to play. When I was younger, I tried to hit like her and tried to hit the ball hard. She's such an inspiration for so many girls out there. Not only just me.
“Also, I looked up a little bit to Bianca Andreescu when she won the US Open in 2019. She was the first Canadian to do so, it was really a big deal for us. It kind of changed a little bit the way things worked there.
“Sometimes I'll see her in the locker room and we'll have a quick chitchat here and there. I always have her number. I know I could always reach out and ask for advice… I'm really happy to have her there to just ask for some advice here and there sometimes.”
The Canadian began the year at No.333 but has rocketed up the rankings courtesy of five ITF titles.
She arrived in Paris with a 37-5 season match record across all levels, cracking the 40 mark by completing her Roland-Garros qualifying quest. That is some collection of results - it’s only May.
It’s not what Mboko expected, but she’s taking it all in her stride.
“I'm happy I experienced it in the juniors so that it kind of prepared me for the professional level," she said. “The whole thing is honestly kind of a surprise. Now I'm here, I feel like I can do something with it and make the most of it.
“It's obviously nice to have a lot of people coming to my match and supporting… But the higher level I play, the more people are going to come. I'm pretty used to it now. It's honestly great.”
This Canadian youngster certainly has a taste for the big stage.
Take her build-up to Roland-Garros, which included taking a set off eventual finalist Coco Gauff at the WTA 1000 in Rome earlier this month before a runner-up run at the WTA 125 in Parma.
Now into the second round in Paris, the versatility and freedom in her game will cause trouble for the very best.
Next up, Mboko will take on world No.59 Eva Lys and if the draw unfolds to form, Mboko will test her major credentials across the net from No.8 seed Zheng Qinwen.
In this kind of form, the qualifier is a real force to be reckoned with.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
