In January 2025, Victoria Mboko was hitting balls oceans away from Melbourne Park.
Ranked outside the world’s top 330, the Canadian won a pair of ITF-level titles in Le Lamentin, Martinique and Petit Bourg, Guadeloupe, two French islands in the eastern Caribbean. Later that month, she flew to Rome, in the US state of Georgia, where she won through qualifying and upset Iva Jovic en-route to a third consecutive ITF title.
MORE: All the scores from AO 2026
Twelve months later, Mboko has soared to a career-high world No.16 after securing a singles victory for Canada at her first United Cup and reaching the Adelaide International final. She’s projected to jump even higher after making a dream Australian Open debut as the women’s singles 17th seed.
She broke into the world’s top 25 after vanquishing four Grand Slam champions – including reigning Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff – en-route to her maiden WTA 1000 title in Montreal in August.
Mboko, 19, arrived in Melbourne with few expectations despite early evidence that an arduous pre-season training block working on her fitness and stamina was paying dividends. The AO 2022 junior girls’ doubles finalist, on her first trip down under in four years, was surprised to see her face emblazoned around the grounds.
“My coach pointed it out to me, I thought that was pretty cool, at the Australian Open, having a banner of my face just there,” she said. “I was not expecting it at all.”
By defeating 14th seed Clara Tauson 7-6(5) 5-7 6-3 in the round of 32 on Friday, Mboko advanced to the fourth round of a major for the first time. By doing so, she’s earned a fascinating showdown against Aryna Sabalenka.
“I never actually talked to her, never had chance to hit, to practise with her,” the world No.1 said. Sabalenka watched some of the teen’s matches and quickly digested her strengths. “She’s [an] aggressive player, she’s playing really great tennis, really heavy shots.”
“I know it's going to be a great battle. I'm super excited to face her for the first time.”
Having played her first two matches against Australian teenage sensation Emerson Jones and American Caty McNally earlier this week at 1573 Arena, then familiarising herself with John Cain Arena with her two hour and 19 minute tussle against Tauson, Mboko is eyeing a court upgrade when she tackles the No.1 seed.
“I assume we'd be playing on Rod Laver,” she speculated. “It's my first-ever fourth round in a Grand Slam, it’s my first time playing the Australian Open - this is a really cool experience.
“I've never played a current No.1 in the world… I've never played on a Grand Slam centre court either, a lot of firsts.
“I'm just really excited, it's something not many people get to experience [and] to be doing that on Sunday is, I think, really cool.”
The daughter of immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mboko was born in the US state of North Carolina before her family relocated to Canada. Her father’s enthusiasm for tennis – a sport he’d watched before moving to North America - set the tone for her family: Gracia, her eldest sister, played tennis for the University of Denver, Kevin, one of her brothers, competed for Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, and David, her other brother, trained at the same Canadian tennis academy as his siblings but didn’t compete at college level.
“I started tennis when I was about three years old,” Mboko told ausopen.com. “As soon as I was able to walk, I kind of just started playing and I just fell in love with the sport.”
“[My siblings] would play with me a lot and I would never want to lose to them, so I think that’s where I got my competitive spirit.”
After a brief dalliance with gymnastics, swimming and soccer, her favoured racquet sport ultimately triumphed.
With the Mboko family’s television regularly tuned into tennis matches across the globe, the youngest of the four siblings found herself idolising greats including seven-time AO champion Serena Williams. “It was easy for me to look up to her as a role model, she was such an icon at the time,” Mboko said last year. “When I was younger, I tried to hit like her.”
The bearer of a potent double-handed backhand, Mboko she also admired Bianca Andreescu, her countrywoman who upset Williams to clinch the 2019 US Open title and the first Canadian to ever triumph at Flushing Meadows.
Against Sabalenka on Sunday, Mboko will aim to draw inspiration from Andreescu and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
“They kind of proved that you can do anything you put your mind to,” she said in New York. “They were both kind of the underdogs coming into the Grand Slam, so it just proves that the trophy is there for everyone and that you can do anything.”
Mboko pledged to “show what I got” in the fourth round, where she’ll aim to end Sabalenka’s quest for a fifth major and third AO crown.
But before that unmissable clash, the 19-year-old will step onto Court 7 alongside Jovic for their second-round doubles match on Saturday.
“I haven't had a full season yet on the WTA Tour, but so far having been playing a lot of matches, I think it's just helped me adapt,” she said.
As she embarks on what could be a multi-decade journey, Mboko is treating losses to accomplished foes who expose any mental and physical weaknesses as learning experiences.
“I'm just taking it day by day and having fun,” she said. “It's a privilege to be here.”
Before her doubles outing, she plans to practise on Rod Laver Arena, the same court on which Williams won the AO 2017 final against sister Venus Williams, with Mboko among the millions of fans watching from afar.
“I would never have expected to be here, especially this fast,” she said. “It feels kind of rewarding to have a chance to play on such a big court against such an amazing player.”
“I also haven’t gotten a chance to see the Wall of Champions, so maybe when I walk down to the court, I can soak it all in and envision myself on Sunday walking along there.”