Canadian teen Victoria Mboko wins Grand Slam debut at French Open and looks for more

Howard Fendrich · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 25, 2025 11:05 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

Victoria Mboko is inactive conscionable 18, inactive alternatively caller to the apical level of nonrecreational tennis, and yet with a large serve, a terrific backhand and enviable tribunal coverage, the Canadian is making the astir of her archetypal play connected tour, including a triumph successful her Grand Slam debut connected Sunday astatine the French Open successful Paris.

When it was mentioned that her 6-1, 7-6 (4) elimination of 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Lulu Sun meant Mboko has claimed each 8 sets she's played implicit the past week-plus connected the reddish clay astatine Roland-Garros — including six successful a trio of triumphs successful the qualifying rounds — the Toronto teen laughed, revealing the braces connected her teeth.

Later Sunday, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., dropped her first-round lucifer against Serbia's Olga Danilovic 6-3, 6-1. The 22-year-old Fernandez surrendered 5 interruption points connected the 9 chances Danilovic had, portion breaking erstwhile connected 2 opportunities herself.

"This does, obviously, consciousness truly speedy for me. Although it feels quick, I consciousness similar I'm besides adapting precise quickly. I privation to beryllium successful this level," said Mboko, represented by endowment bureau IMG since the property of 12. "To accommodate truly accelerated is truly important to me. The much I consciousness similar I marque it look mean to me, the much mean it's going to beryllium successful these tournaments."

Against the left-handed Sun, Mboko's service — which she considers her game's top spot — played a important relation successful the outcome.

With her begetter and 2 of her older siblings successful the stands astatine Court 9, a abbreviated locomotion from Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Mboko reached a apical velocity of 115 mph and delivered 7 aces. She won each 10 of her work games, redeeming each 7 interruption points accumulated by Sun.

"I emotion to dictate points connected my serve, and I emotion to usage that arsenic an accidental to beryllium much assertive and beryllium up successful the score," said Mboko, who is presently ranked 120th. "Especially successful women's tennis, having a bully service and holding each the clip is beauteous crucial. It helps maine get retired of a batch of sticky situations."

Inspired by Serena

Her favourite subordinate arsenic a kid — not each that agelong ago, really — was Serena Williams, whose 23 Grand Slam titles often came with the assistance of top-notch serving.

"I ever modelled myself connected the thought of her game. Of course, not everything I bash is the same. But she had specified a almighty game, and that's thing that I would emotion to replicate and emotion to contiguous my crippled disconnected of that," Mboko said. "It's large to person a relation exemplary similar that and effort to bash thing similar she did."

Mboko began to truly get noticed successful the satellite of tennis astatine the commencement of this year, erstwhile she won 22 matches successful a enactment — each successful consecutive sets — to gain 4 lower-level International Tennis Federation titles. Her archetypal WTA lucifer arrived astatine the Miami Open successful March, and she won that debut, too.

Pushed Gauff to 3 sets successful Rome

She's been impressing opponents on the way, including 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff. Mboko pushed the American, who is ranked No. 2 close now, to 3 sets connected clay astatine the Italian Open this month.

"She's playing top-level tennis," Gauff said aft that win. "For sure, connected the movement, I would accidental she's up determination with maine connected that. As acold arsenic the different parts of her game, she's evidently a large hitter, tin play well, moves beauteous well, has a bully backhand, aforesaid connected the forehand."

Mboko grew up playing mostly connected indoor hard courts successful Canada and calls that her "favourite aboveground for my full life."

That said, she's starting to get utilized to — and bask — the clay utilized astatine the French Open.

"In the future? I conjecture we'll see. You ne'er know. I consciousness similar I've been doing beauteous OK connected the clay truthful far, adjacent though it was my slightest favourite aboveground and I thought it was my worst surface, too," Mboko said. "But you ne'er know."