Victoria Mboko’s Australian Open debut ended in the fourth round after falling to Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 7-6 (1) on Saturday night.
Sabalenka quickly won the first set, but Mboko quickly showed the form that has made her one of the fastest rising stars in tennis, pushing the world No. 1 to the limit in the second set, although she ultimately fell to the powerful top seed
“What an incredible player for such a young age. It’s so great to see all these young kids coming up on tour. I can’t believe I’m saying that, I feel like I’m still a kid, but whatever,” Sabalenka said of Mboko after the win. “I’m super happy with the win. She pushed me so much, and I’m happy to be through.”
The match lasted an hour and 26 minutes and was Sabalenka’s 24th win in her past 25 matches at the Australian Open.
With the fourth-round exit, Mboko creeps up on the top 10 for the first time in her career and is projected to jump three spots from No. 16 to No. 13.
The Canadian missed a golden opportunity early in the match as she squandered a pair of break points in Sabalenka’s first service game, allowing the top-seed to rally and take a 1-0 lead in the first set. The world No. 1 took full control of the first set shortly after the two traded holds, breaking Mboko at love and then holding again to earn a 4-1 lead.
The world No. 1 put a stamp on the first set on Mboko’s next service game, breaking the young Canadian for the second-straight time to take a 5-1 lead.
Sabalenka hit 15 winners to just four unforced errors in the first set, while Mboko was unable to handle her opponent’s early pressure, committing eight unforced errors to just six winners.
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The second set did not start any better for Mboko, as Sabalenka was once again able to solve the Canadian’s reliable serve, breaking her for the third-straight time for another early lead. Mboko finally found her serve in the second set, holding at love to find life after Sabalenka had won seven-straight games between the first and second sets.
Unfortunately for Mboko, Sabalenka was at the top of her game on Saturday, earning her fourth break of the match to take another 4-1 lead.
With the match looking like it was out of reach, Mboko roared right back, breaking Sabalenka and then holding on her own serve to reach a more manageable 4-3 deficit. The 19-year-old would get as close as 5-4, giving Sabalenka a chance to serve for the match.
The two would go back and forth in the potential deciding game, with Mboko fighting off three match points and earning three break points herself. On break point #3, Mboko, who was sporting a heavily taped right leg, finally broke through and got Sabalenka to smash her return forehand long to even the second set at 5-5.
The 2025 National Bank Open champion maintained the momentum and dragged Sabalenka to a tiebreak to decide the second set. The four-time Grand Slam champion would regain control and finish off the match in quick order, winning the first three points off the tiebreak, punctuated by a powerful ace that Mboko had no chance to return. Sabalenka would eventually win the tiebreak 7-1 to seal the straight-sets win in emphatic fashion.
Mboko set up the showdown with the world No. 1 after taking down No. 14 Clara Tauson 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3 on Thursday.
Sabalenka, a two-time winner at Melbourne Park, advanced to the fourth round with a win over Anastasia Potapova.
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Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
