After a season that stretched her body, mind and diary to breaking point, Victoria Mboko can finally stop running. The 19-year-old Canadian, who rattled through 76 matches and rocketed to No. 18 in under a year, has at last been granted something alien to her in recent times: a proper breather.
“It just feels good to be healthy,” she told Match Point Canada, sounding every inch a teenager discovering the novelty of rest. “When I got home, I didn’t touch my racket bag for a while. My time off was lovely and relaxed.”
No one could begrudge her. Mboko’s ascent was one of the standout storylines of the season: two WTA titles, a fairytale charge in Montreal, and several close shaves with the game’s elite. And for a player who began the year barely on the radar, the scale of her rise still strikes her as faintly absurd.
“If you’d told me I’d be No. 18 at the end of the year? Absolutely not!” she laughed. “It was my first full schedule. Watching my ranking creep up felt amazing. This whole season has been a learning experience — I’m still growing as a player and as a person.”
The Match That Changed Everything
The turning point came not in triumph but in defeat. In Miami, she took former world No. 2 Paula Badosa to the brink in a gripping three-setter that left seasoned observers raising eyebrows.
“That was probably one of the best matches I’ve ever played,” Mboko said. “Keeping up with her gave me so much confidence. You think WTA level is so far away, but that day I showed what I can do.”
A spark had caught.
A Week That Stopped a Nation
Months later, the spark became a blaze. In Montreal, under the full glare of a home crowd, Mboko cut through a roll call of major champions — Kenin, Gauff, Rybakina, Osaka — usually after losing the first set. It was the run that hijacked the North American summer.
“Before Montreal, I just wanted to win one or two matches at home,” she admitted. “When I lost the first sets, I tried not to think about it. I told myself, ‘Reset. You’ll find the solution.’ The crowd helped massively. The rest is history.”
History indeed. The teenager became the youngest Canadian champion the tournament had ever seen, and overnight, a nation had a new sporting obsession.
The Toll of Success
But rapid success rarely comes without a price. Wrist trouble forced her out of Cincinnati and left her diminished heading into the US Open and Beijing.
“In hindsight, I wish I’d taken more time,” she said. “But I was so excited for my first US Open. I learned you have to listen to your body.”
The form dip that followed — where she struggled to win at all — delivered another lesson.
“After a big win you become the prey instead of the hunter,” she said. “But it didn’t bother me too much. It’s my first year. You have good moments and bad ones — what matters is how you come back.”
Her anchor throughout has been former Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, her long-time coach.
“She’s so calm, and she brings that calmness to the court,” Mboko said. “When I look at my box, I relax. She says the right things at the right time.”
That poise was decisive during her gritty, three-hour Hong Kong final win over Cristina Bucșa, a title run that confirmed Montreal was no fluke.
“I wanted it so badly,” Mboko said. “I had leads, chances, and she kept coming back. I stayed calm and told myself, ‘You’re in a final — just play.’”
Canadian Clashes and New Horizons
Hong Kong also brought a curious semifinal against compatriot Leylah Fernandez, a match Mboko admits felt “weird” until the first ball.
“Off court it’s weird,” she said. “But once it starts, I don’t care who’s there. Leylah’s an incredible fighter. I knew I had to bring my A-game.”
Back in Montreal for preseason, Mboko knows what comes next: the gritty, unglamorous slog.
“I know it’ll get pretty brutal at some point,” she laughed. “I’m not happy about that, but that’s life!”
She’ll begin 2026 at the United Cup, her first taste of mixed-team competition — something she embraces.
“I generally prefer team events,” she said. “You don’t feel alone. You’ve always got your little corner cheering for you.”
Grand Slams, Growth and the Next Leap
Fans peppered her with questions, most of them circling the same theme: what now?
Mboko resists rigid targets. “You never know what will happen. But making a deep Grand Slam run would be nice — two weeks of battling top players.”
She’s crystal-clear on what needs refining.
“Footwork,” she said instantly. “When I move well, everything comes off the racquet clean.”
A return to doubles is on the cards too, a way to sharpen her instincts at the net. As for role models, they remain familiar.
“On court, Serena Williams. Off court, my sister and my siblings — they brought me into tennis.”
Her soundtrack through the chaos? “A lot of Bruno Mars.”
A Star Still Rising
Victoria Mboko’s season wasn’t just a breakthrough — it was a declaration. Bold, grounded, hungry, she delivered one of the most compelling surges by any young player on the WTA Tour.
And yet, she doesn’t see herself anywhere near the summit.
“I’m still growing,” she said. “This year showed me what I can do. There’s so much more to come.”