Coco Gauff vs. Victoria Mboko: Match Preview
“She’s definitely playing like one of the top players in the world right now,” Gauff says of Mboko. “Her ranking will definitely match that soon.”
Gauff knows firsthand how tough the 18-year-old Canadian already is. The two played on clay in Rome, and the American won in three sets. That loss aside, Mboko has been one of the breakouts of 2025. She has a 49-9 record, and while that mark was mostly built on the lower-level ITF tour, she has made inroads in the big leagues as well. She qualified for Roland Garros and reached the third round; qualified for Wimbledon and made the second round; and she has three wins already at her home event in Montreal.
Mboko does it with naturally penetrating ground strokes, good speed and anticipation, and a mostly positive attitude in the face of adversity. On Thursday night, she lost the first set to Marie Bouzkova 6-1, before winning the third 6-0.
“I think it was a mental battle with myself to kind of make sure to stay in there with her, and find the right moments to kind of hit harder or put away the ball,” Mboko said of her comeback.
In Rome, she was able to stay with Gauff from the ground for a set and a half, but didn’t the have patience or consistency to last longer than that. We’ll see if hard courts allow Mboko to rush Gauff on her more vulnerable forehand side.
We’ll also see, as we always do, how many donations Gauff makes in the form of double faults. She has 32 in her first two matches, but she has survived so far—barely. At one point, Gauff’s A-game will click back in. If it does on Saturday, she should win. If it doesn’t, it’s a toss-up. Winner: Mboko