Victoria Mboko’s remarkable ascent reached another milestone at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, where the 19-year-old Canadian secured her Top 10 debut with a commanding 6-3 6-2 semifinal win over Jelena Ostapenko. The victory sends her into a second WTA 1000 final and guarantees a ranking of either No. 9 with the title or No. 10 as runner-up.
Just a year ago, Mboko was ranked No. 211, building her résumé on the ITF circuit. Her breakout 2025 season changed everything. A wild card run to the National Bank Open title in Montreal defeating four Grand Slam champions, including Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, announced her as a generational talent. A subsequent WTA 250 crown in Hong Kong helped her close the year at No. 18. Now, she becomes only the fourth Canadian woman to crack the Top 10, joining Carling Bassett-Seguso, Eugenie Bouchard, and Bianca Andreescu.
Victoria Mboko: Poise Beyond Her Years
Seeded No. 10 in Doha, Mboko has played with striking maturity. Her quarterfinal win over reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina snapping a nine-match winning streak, marked her third career Top 10 victory. Against Ostapenko, she dictated rallies with controlled aggression, becoming the first teenager to reach the Doha final since Ostapenko in 2016.
Raised in Toronto after her family emigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mboko’s rise reflects both talent and grounding. Coached by Nathalie Tauziat and Maxime Tchoutakian, she has developed a fearless baseline game built for the biggest stages.
From outside the Top 300 at the start of 2025 to the Top 10 in early 2026, Mboko’s surge has been swift and emphatic. Awaiting her in the final is either Karolina Muchova or Maria Sakkari. Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: she is no longer a prospect, she is firmly among the game’s elite.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
