Victoria Mboko has pulled off a fantastic upset at the Qatar Open, taking down one of the best in Aryna Sabalenka to reach the semi-finals.
The 16-year-old is having a dream start to 2024, and her run in Doha is grabbing headlines. She’s picked up wins over Mirra Andreeva, Vera Zvonareva, and Marie Bouzková to earn her spot in the final eight.
She’s only played three tournaments this year but has already made back-to-back quarterfinals, including a trip to the final in Linz. It hasn’t been an easy road either—Rybakina came from behind more than once on her way to her latest title.
In Canada alone, she’s raised over $18 million for underprivileged children. The Canadian Press named him ‘Male Athlete of the Year’ twice and his legacy is set in stone.
Victoria Mboko backed by Rick Macci to become World Number One
Mboko’s run of form, which includes lifting both the Canadian Open and the Hong Kong Open, has caught the attention of fans and pundits alike – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Macci.
Since breaking into the top 20 at the start of this year, she has continued to build momentum. It’s now getting to a point where Macci believes that she could become number one in the world.
“Mboko has the raw firepower on three big-ticket items that spell a future number one,” said Mboko on X, also citing her ability to play between offence and defence as another reason for her belief in Mboko’s potential.
The Serena Williams coach then added: “Add in great make-up speed to live another day and Vic is quick here to stay.”
Mboko has picked up 27 wins on tour since winning in Canada. That record is only bettered by Iga Swiatek and Rybakina during that period.
Victoria Mboko faces familiar path in Rybakina Quarterfinal
Mboko’s next match against Rybakina in Qatar is a tough one, but there’s a bit of history working in her favour.
Their only previous meeting came in the Canadian Open semi-finals, where Mboko notched up the win and went on to take the title.
If she manages another win over Rybakina, there’ll be a growing feeling that Mboko can push all the way through to another WTA 1000 final, this time in Doha.
Jelena Ostapenko and Elisabetta Cocciaretto are next up for the winner of that quarter-final. Both would be heavy underdogs against either player.
Cocciaretto has come through as a lucky loser, while Ostapenko remains unseeded and is also still active in doubles play.
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