Victoria Mboko ensured that the Adelaide International will have a different titlist in 2026, after the Canadian No. 1 took down reigning champion Madison Keys in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Mboko’s 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over the 2025 Australian Open winner marked her second-ever Top 10 victory and her sixth against a former Grand Slam champion.
Despite being broken four times in the match, the Torontonian only failed to break back twice which led to her dropping the second set. Mboko converted on half of her 12 break points on the day and kept her unforced errors to a minimum, finishing with 27 compared to Keys’ 41.
Much like the start to her second-round win over Anna Kalinskaya, Mboko went up a break right from the opening game in her quarter-final contest but, this time, the world No. 17 followed with a hold, saving break point to take an early 2-0 advantage.
Keys later made no mistake on her second break opportunity at 2-1, 30-40, to even the first set. Undeterred, Mboko broke back then held to restore her two-game lead, up 4-2.
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Both players found their service rhythm from that point on, not conceding a point on their delivery until the Canadian was serving for the opener at 5-4. Mboko managed to dig herself out of a love-30 hole and clinch the set in just over half an hour.
A strong early return game seems to be the key to the Torontonian’s success in Adelaide, starting off the second with a break and possessing another quick advantage of the set. Trailing love-30 in the ensuing game, Mboko delivered four-straight unreturned serves – including one of her four aces on the day – to lead 2-0.
However, the Canadian No. 1 couldn’t shake off a resilient Keys. The American rallied to level the set at two apiece then, after Mboko broke in the fifth game, Keys broke back to stay on level terms at 3-3.
The world No. 9 held the rest of the way, putting pressure on Mboko to serve to extend the set. At 4-5, 15-40, the Canuck’s backhand sailed long and, for the fifth-straight time to begin the year, Mboko had to play a decider.
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The 19-year-old showcased her spirit when it comes to a final set. At 1-1, two-straight breaks, coupled with a pair of holds, brought Mboko just one-game away from booking her ticket into the semis. At 5-2, another string of four-straight unreturned serves from the Canadian erased a love-30 deficit into the match, reaching her third-career WTA semifinal.
Mboko will meet Australian Kimberley Birrell on Thursday. Birrell will have home advantage on this occasion, after their last meeting in the opening round of the Canadian teen’s title run at the National Bank Open in Montreal last year.
Feature Photo: Tennis Canada
