Mboko channels Gauff’s glowing praise

At just 18, and in her Grand Slam qualifying debut in Paris, the Canadian has charged to within one win of her first main draw following a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over Liechtenstein’s Kathinka von Deichmann.

RG2025 women's qualifying draw

Unbeaten in five ITF finals this year, Mboko first hit the radar on her WTA 1000 debut in Miami in March when she held match points against world No.11 Paula Badosa in the second round.

On the red clay of Europe, she qualified for the WTA 1000 event in Rome, again won a round and took the opening set against eventual finalist Gauff.

The hype is bound to grow around the explosive all-court player should she book her main draw berth over Slovenian Kaja Juvan. For now, any uptick in attention has gone unnoticed.

“Actually, I don't feel that at all to be honest. I I feel very unknown and I feel very new,” Mboko said. “I still have the impression that I'm someone who no one really knows. That's just my feeling but maybe it's different on the outside … Some people say hello. I get that sometimes but, I mean, I'm still trying to get to know everyone (on tour) so it's only a matter of time.”

One peer in particular did her bit to ensure Mboko’s name registered on more pundits’ radars.

Following her come-from-behind victory in Rome, Gauff lauded her younger opponent’s performance and prospects, while careful to downplay comparisons between the two.

Unnecessary parallels with an established Grand Slam champion often run the risk of adding a tricky additional burden.

“I felt like playing myself because I feel like I move pretty well, she moves very well … As far as the other parts of her game, she's obviously a big hitter, can play well, moves pretty well, has a nice backhand, same on the forehand,” Gauff said.

“I don't want to say she plays like me ’cause she obviously doesn't. We're like closer in age. I would say on the movement side athletically she's one of the best athletes on tour.”

Mboko admitted she was oblivious to the acclaim until others pointed it out. It was high praise indeed coming from arguably the tour’s best mover, not that she was letting it go to her head.

“It's obviously a really great compliment especially coming from her because honestly I felt during the match she was a lot better of an athlete than I was and it kind of made me feel a little bit insecure on court,” she said.

“I mean, to have gone three sets with her, to kind of shake things up in the match, I think was a little bit better confidence for me, seeing what I can do and what I need to improve on at the end of the day so I'm really grateful to have played her and I gained a lot of experience from that match.”

Mboko’s story had its beginnings in the Democratic Republic of Congo, from where her parents emigrated due to political conflict before her birth.

While they initially settled in the United States, they moved the family north across the border for better opportunities for Mboko and her siblings, Gracia, Kevin and David.

“They migrated to the United States I think in the early 2000s,” she said. “I have three older siblings as well. They kind of picked up tennis in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is where I was born.

“I guess my dad decided to further our tennis education. He wanted to move to Canada where it was a lot safer and was a better environment to improve our tennis game basically.

“[My siblings and I] do have a really great age gap, but I was always very competitive. My sister's 10 years older than me and I absolutely hated to lose to her. I remember I played her once and she killed me 0 and 0 and I just remember being devastated after that.”

While yet to visit her parents’ homeland, Mboko is eager to make the trip sooner rather than later.

For now the focus is firmly on locking in that Grand Slam main draw berth.

“I really want to go at some point, maybe this year and upcoming years to visit my grandparents, my aunts, uncles and cousins,” she said. “It'd be nice to go back to my roots.”