Teenage rising star Victoria Mboko says she is taking everything in her stride after reaching the third round of the French Open on her debut.
The 18-year-old came through three rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw in Paris. In the first round, she defeated New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in straight sets. Then on Wednesday, she continued her winning run by beating Eva Lys 6-4, 6-4. Becoming only the second teenage qualifier to reach the last 32 at Roland Garros over the past decade. The first to do so was Mirra Andreeva in 2023.
Mboko’s run comes during what has been a breakthrough season for her. Since January, she has won five titles on the ITF circuit and reached the final of a WTA 125 event in Italy. As a result of her success, she is projected to break into the top 100 after the French Open for the first time. A rise of more than 200 places compared to the start of this year.
“That’s a really great accomplishment. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be in the top 100?” Mboko told reporters on Wednesday.
“You’re amongst one of the top, best in the world. You’re playing Grand Slams all the time.
“I think that’s a pretty great milestone for me regarding that I was around 300 at the beginning of the year. So I think that was a pretty big jump for me. I’m happy so far.”
Amid her success, there has been a surge of media interest in the Canadian. As to how she is dealing with her increase in fame, Mboko credits the support of her family, who have roots in tennis. She has three other siblings who also play tennis, two of them do so at college level. Her parents are originally from the Congo but left due to war in the country.
“I feel really happy right now. There is so much happening, even behind the scenes,” she said.
“I feel like my family has been doing a good job of keeping me isolated from it all. I have just been enjoying the moment.
“I have been enjoying time with my sister and my brother. I don’t have so many people around me and it’s kept me very calm and very comfortable.
The youngster continued by paying tribute to the impact her father, Cyprien, has had on her development in the sport.
“My father, he’s retired now, but when I was training a lot, he was working night shifts so he could be at every single one of my practices, especially when I was a junior,” Mboko reflected.
“He was very strict with my tennis, I could say. He’s done so much to help me develop and try to bring me to great training and coaches. Many of this wouldn’t have been possible without him.”
Mboko will face her biggest test yet in the next round when she plays reigning Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, who is seeded eighth in the draw. It will be the third time she has played a top 20 player on the Tour this year after Paula Badosa in Miami and Coco Gauff in Rome. Both of whom she took a set off before losing.
“The only expectation that I can feel right now is that it’s going to be a very difficult Match,” she said of facing Zheng.
“Of course, it’s going to be very tiring. I’ll have to bring out my best tennis. So that’s all I can expect for now.”
