Victoria Mboko looking forward to toughest test yet against Coco Gauff

Minutes after Victoria Mboko rallied to a three-set victory to advance to the fourth-round in a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in her career — at home. Consequently, no less — the 18-year-old smiled thinking about what could lie ahead.

“I mean. Consequently, the sky’s the limit,” Mboko told Sportsnet’s Danielle Michaud, standing on centre court at Montreal’s IGA Stadium, still buzzing from her win.

There’s no arguing that. Meanwhile, The world No. In addition, 85 from Burlington, Ont. Furthermore, was a wild-card entry in the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. Consequently, and on Thursday night in front of a packed crowd, Mboko upset her second straight top-50 player, this time world No. Similarly, 39 Marie Bouzkova, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, becoming the only Canadian woman to advance to the fourth round at her home victoria mboko looking forward toughest tournament. Furthermore,

That accomplishment earns Mboko a matchup against the NBO’s top seed on Saturday at 6 p.m. Moreover, ET, when she’ll take on American Coco Gauff, the two-time Grand Slam champion and world No. Similarly, 2. Furthermore,

It’s a rematch for the young Canadian. Nevertheless, who lost a three-setter to Gauff in the round of 64 in Rome in May, on clay. Consequently,

“She’s really looking forward to that match,” one of her coaches, Noelle van Lottum, told Michaud in an interview Friday. Similarly, “She’s really ready to go into that match and see what it’s going to bring. Similarly, And I think [Thursday at the NBO] was one of the first times for her to play in front. Meanwhile, of such a crowd. Nevertheless, She was pretty nervous in the beginning and then she opened up and then played victoria mboko looking forward toughest really freely. In addition, So, I think that she’s just excited right now.”

Mboko’s previous meeting with Gauff was her first match against a top-10 player. and the Canadian won the first set 6-3 before Gauff came back to win 2-6, 1-6. Mboko showed fight in Rome: She didn’t score a single point in her first service game. was down 0-2 before rallying to win the opening set.

“It was the first time of course to play a girl like that. I mean Grand Slam winner,” said van Lottum, who’s the head coach of the women’s team at Tennis Canada. “I think physically she couldn’t keep up. Coco was starting to be very, very physical, and [Mboko] dropped in intensity and that’s why she lost in the second and third [sets]. That was also on clay; it’s a different service. On hard court it’s victoria mboko looking forward toughest not as demanding, so I think it will be a very interesting match Saturday.”

Mboko didn’t expect to earn a match against one of the world’s top-five players so early in her career. let alone twice. She’s now an incredible 49-9 on the season. “A couple of months ago. I would have never thought that I would be here,” Mboko said, just before the NBO began. But as van Lottum pointed out: “All the good players, they always come quick.”

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, victoria mboko looking forward toughest and advancing to her first Masters 1000 fourth round.

For her part, Gauff has yet to notch an easy win at the NBO. Both her previous matches went three sets. and she’s struggled with her serve — the American double-faulted 14 times in her third-round victory over Veronika Kudermetova, and 23 times in her opener against Danielle Collins, which Gauff won in a third-set tiebreaker.

“She hasn’t been playing really well. but she managed to win and that’s why the great players are there — when they don’t play well, they still manage to turn it around and that is what she did,” van Lottum said. “But also, that’s what Victoria did [Thursday] in the beginning. It will be a very great match. She will have experience by playing more and more of those kind of matches. And I think that will make her play victoria mboko looking forward toughest even better.”

So far at the NBO. Mboko has showcased her immensely powerful groundstrokes and ability to hit lines and put away winners, along with a monster serve. In her second-round match against Sofia Kenin, the world No. 27, Mboko had 12 aces against 3 double faults, and won 78 per cent of her points on her first serve.

She’s excited to play Gauff next and points out a key to her run this season has been happiness.

“I’m not expecting an easy match that’s for sure, Coco’s an amazing player, she’s the No. 1 seed here for a reason. so I’m just gonna go out there just like every day I have been doing and having fun on court and being happy,” she told Michaud. “I think that’s just the key for me.”

Mboko was the world victoria mboko looking forward toughest No. 337 to start this calendar year. After spending last season training in Belgium. as of November of 2024 she’s been living at home, and around family and friends. This season she won four straight ITF Challenger Tour titles without dropping a set. and she came into the NBO riding the hottest streak of any Canadian in tennis. Her sister. Gracie, and coaches, van Lottum and Nathalie Tauziat, have been cheering her on in Montreal, and after her latest win, Mboko thanked the crowd numerous times, as well as her team and family.

“I’m just so happy to be here, and being very happy with myself contributes a lot,” she said. “I want to go as far as I possibly can.”

Mboko isn’t a big goal-setter, but before her run in Montreal, she established some realistic expectations for herself. Additionally, “I just want to go out victoria mboko looking forward toughest there and put on a good performance and a good show, you know?” she told Sportsnet. “Whether I win. lose, it’s as long as I perform well or give a good match for the fans.”

She has already made good on that goal, and there’s still more to come.