The way Victoria Mboko ended her match against Marie Bouzkova couldn’t have been more fitting. She thumped an inside-out backhand return winner, before sinking her head into her hands in joy.
The backhand – particularly down the line – did damage the entire night at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers against one of the game’s finest movers, Marie Bouzkova.
By the end of the third-round 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 contest in Montreal, a thigh injury hampered the Czech’s ability to patrol the court.
Mboko’s ball striking, though, is undeniably superb.
It’s not just the power. Her willingness to go down the lines (and execute) is noteworthy.
The 18-year-old finished with 32 winners and was only minus six in the winners to unforced errors ratio.
“I'm just really happy to have come out with the win and felt really great coming off the court with the tennis I was able to produce towards the end of the match,” said Mboko.
And so Mboko wrote another chapter in her breakout 2025 season. Chapter 1 might have been amassing a 22-match winning streak at lower levels without dropping a set. Chapter 2 could have been Mboko playing in her first two Grand Slam main draws at the French Open and Wimbledon and winning rounds.
Now she’s flourishing in her first appearance at her home event, becoming the youngest Canadian woman to reach the Round of 16 at the tournament since Helen Kelesi in 1988. Mboko also came from a set down to win for the first time in a WTA main draw match, having previously been 0-5.
Ranked no. 85 heading into Montreal, Mboko is guaranteed to climb to the mid 60s come the next rankings.
And if she beats top seed Coco Gauff on Saturday night? Welcome to the Top 60.
Bouzkova proved too solid in the first set, keeping things tidy as she can do while Mboko couldn’t find her game. Bouzkova had the winning feeling of late, crowned the champion at home herself in Prague on Saturday in an all-Czech duel with Linda Noskova to return to the Top 40.
The turnaround began when Mboko gave herself a pep talk during a toilet break. She was intent on bettering her concentration and movement.
“It was a very shaky start for me,” said Mboko. “It felt one of those days where you couldn't really understand what was going on, and you feel very off, and nothing is really working in your favour. So that plays also a really mental role, and you really don't feel great with the tennis you're producing.
“I took the opportunity after the first set to take a toilet break and kind of regroup and reset for the next set. It kind of helped me get everything back together and started playing a little bit better.”
Mboko grabbed a 2-0 lead and authored one of the shots of the match in game three, ripping a forehand return winner down the line on the stretch to the delight of the fans at Centre Court.
Bouzkova avoided going down two breaks when Mboko misfired on a 20-shot rally that the former is so used to playing. But as the match developed, Mboko was the one prevailing in exchanges of more than 20 shots.
In double digits in aces against Sofia Kenin and Kimberly Birrell this week, Mboko didn’t produce those numbers against the 2015 Toronto semifinalist. Hitting 10 double faults – including two in a row to gift Bouzkova a break back for 2-2 – made her task slightly more difficult.
Mboko quickly regained control.
When Bouzkova took a medical timeout for a right thigh issue at the end of set two, it spelled trouble. The accumulation of recent matches and a long flight from Europe probably played a part.
Mboko still had to finish things off and didn’t flinch, working the points when needed and unloading from the baseline when safe to do so.
Looking forward to Coco
Gauff’s court coverage is even better than Bouzkova’s, but Mboko knows what it’s like to face the Grand Slam winner. She grabbed a set off Gauff when they played on clay in Rome in May.
Back then, and on the eve of NBO 2025, Gauff complimented Mboko. Mboko repaid the favour while looking forward to part 2.
“I'm really excited for it,” said Mboko. “I know what I'm going to expect. I'm going to really expect a hard fight.
“It's always great to play such incredible athletes and incredible players like her. I think it's just going to be a really fun experience again.”
Photo: Pascal Ratthé
