Coco Gauff has praised the level of tennis produced by rising star Victoria Mboko after suffering a shock loss to the teenager at the National Bank Open.
The top seed fell 6-1, 6-4, to the 18-year-old who only managed to gain entry into the main draw with the help of a wildcard. Gauff has struggled to find her rhythm throughout the tournament, producing almost 40 double faults during her first two matches played. However, this area of her game was slightly better against Moboko, with the American only hitting six double faults, but she produced 22 unforced errors overall.
As for Mboko, she moves into the last eight having dropped one set in four matches played, which was against Marie Bouzkova. The youngster started 2025 outside the top 300 but has enjoyed a rapid rise over the past six months to a current ranking of 85.
“I knew she would come in with a lot of confidence, and she’s won her first couple of rounds easily,” said Gauff.
“Honestly, I haven’t played the best this tournament, so I knew that it would be tough. I just felt I could do better, but I also knew that if I took my foot off the gas a little bit, that she would take advantage of those moments, and she did.”
“She’s very athletic. She’s a great ball striker, and she seems pretty positive out there on the court, and doesn’t get too negative,” the world No.2 added.
After beating Sofia Kenin earlier in the draw, Mboko is only the third Canadian woman since 1990 to have beaten multiple Grand Slam champions at the same tournament and the first to do so since Leylah Fernandez at the 2021 US Open. She is the youngest Canadian quarter-finalist at the tournament since Helen Kelesi in 1987.
Gauff, who is three years older, knows what is likely to rise up the rankings at a young age. Inevitably, some are drawing comparisons between her and Mboko, which is something she disagrees with.
“She’s a completely different player, completely different person,” Gauff states.
“I’ve never been one to compare myself to others, whether it be like people comparing me to Serena or Venus, and I don’t think it’s fair to put that on her as well.
“But I do see someone who is going to have a really bright future, for sure.”
As Mboko prepares for her next match against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Gauff’s focus switches to Cincinnati as she tries to regain her form in time for the US Open, which will begin at the end of this month.
“I felt like in practice I was playing well the last few weeks, just practising. I decided to take some time off and not play D.C. to focus on that, and maybe that wasn’t the right decision,” she admits.
“Maybe it was better to get more matches under my belt. But it’s the first tournament of the hard court season, so I’m hoping that in Cincy and New York I can find that rhythm.”
