Everything is coming up Victoria Mboko this week in Doha.
The Canadian teen will have a shot at her second WTA 1000 title on Saturday at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, the first WTA 1000 event of 2026, after an impressive victory over Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals on Friday.
Mboko had too much game for the 2025 Doha Finalist. Using her defensive skills to neutralize her opponent’s power and her own big-hitting to keep Ostapenko from building any momentum, the Canadian won nine of the last 11 games to reach her first WTA 1000 final since winning the National Bank Open with a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Regardless of what happens in the final, Mboko will be ranked inside the WTA Top 10 on Monday for the first time. She will be the seventh Canadian singles player, male or female, to be ranked inside the Top 10.
Solid tennis from Mboko was the difference-maker on Friday. Ostapenko had more winners with 22 but also significantly more unforced errors with 27. The Canadian had 15 of each. Mboko was also far more solid on serve, winning 68 per cent of her first serve points and only facing one break point in the match, which came in the opening game. She won 56 per cent of her opponent’s service points, breaking four times on eight opportunities.
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Ostapenko came out swinging, winning the first six points in a row, including a break to love in the opening game, on her way to a 2-0 lead. However, Mboko was able to play her way into the match and it did not take long for her to disrupt the Latvian’s rhythm. The Canadian used her impressive movement to keep Ostapenko at bay and could turn defence to offence in a flash when given the opportunity. Her own impressive hitting earned a double break point opportunity in the fourth game, where Mboko teed off on a return to get back on serve.
Having weathered the early storm, Mboko started to take full control of the match. The teen was now the one using her big hitting to dominate the rallies and Ostapenko struggled to keep up. At 4-3, Mboko took advantage of her opponent’s difficulty getting first serves in play, aggressively attacking every return. That earned her three break-point chances and on the third, Ostapenko missed a swinging backhand volley to set up Mboko to serve out the set.
The Canadian carried her momentum into the second set. In the opening game, Ostapenko missed a backhand to give Mboko a break point, where she laced a backhand winner down the line to secure the early break. The Latvian was starting to miss more and more and in her second service games, buried herself in a 15-40 hole. On the second break point, she double-faulted to give the teen a double-break lead.
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It was not until Mboko was serving for the match, having broken a third time to go up 5-0, that Ostapenko finally landed a punch. Going for broke on every ball, the Latvian was finally able to draw some misses from the teen to end her eight-game run the first time she served for the match. However, at the second time of asking, despite falling behind love-30 and missing her first match point, Mboko was able to slam the door and reach her second WTA 1000 final.
Standing between Mboko and a second WTA 1000 trophy will be either Karolina Muchova or Maria Sakkari.
Dabrowski and Stefani's Return to WTA 1000 Play Ends in Semis
Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani fell short of their third WTA 1000 final as a team, losing out to No. 4 seeds Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 6-3, 6-4 in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open semifinals on Friday.
Dabrowski and Stefani last made a WTA 1000 final together in 2021, winning the National Bank Open title and finishing as runner-up in Cincinnati.
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The Canadian-Brazilian duo converted on three of 11 break points in the match but were unable to consolidate each loss of serve with a hold. Danilina and Krunic were much more clinical when holding the opportunity to break, capitalizing on six of nine, including a break to cap off the opening set and then the match.
Dabrowski and Stefani started strong on their delivery early in the first set, conceding just one point on serve through their opening three service games. The fifth seeds then had the chance to make the first move with a trio of break points at 2-3, 15-40, but Danilina and Krunic saved two before winning the sudden-death deuce to hold, staying level at 3-3.
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The Kazakhstani-Serb duo applied from significant pressure of their own after that, converting on two of four break points the rest of the way to seal the opener.
In the second, each team managed to hold serve just once in the first eight games. At 4-4, 40-all, Danilina and Krunic came out with the crucial hold, forcing Dabrowski and Stefani to serve to stay alive in the match.
The Canadian-Brazilian team found themselves facing match point at 4-5, 15-40, where Dabrowski’s difficult volley couldn’t find its way over net, sending Danilina and Krunic through to Saturday’s final.
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Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
