Victoria Mboko’s first trip to Tennis Paradise started with a win on Friday, as the world No. 10 saw off Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in straight sets in her debut at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Contesting not just her first match at one of the most prestigious non-Grand Slam events on tour, but also her first WTA match as a Top 10 player, Mboko had to overcome a bit of inconsistency on her own serve in the tricky desert conditions. The teen star was able to find her game when she needed it most, though, scoring a 6-4, 7-6(5) win.
It was a boom-bust performance for Mboko, who had 22 winners but 35 unforced errors. She won 78 per cent of her first serve points but just 36 per cent of second serves. Still, the Burlingtonian was opportunistic, converting five of her seven break-point chances in the win.
The Canadian got off to a slow start in her first match in the desert, dropping serve in the opening game of the match. However, it did not take long for Mboko to find her rhythm. Birrell was in control early but Mboko started to shift momentum in her favour as the set went along. A midcourt swinging volley miss from the Aussie at 3-2 gave the world No. 10 a chance to draw level and Mboko pulled out all the stops, carving a tight drop shot to set up a backhand winner as she got back on serve.
Read also: WTA Power Rankings - Sabalenka, Rybakina Dueling for Supremacy at Sunshine Double
Having fully recovered from the early sluggishness, Mboko kept her foot on the gas and Birrell struggled to keep up. The Aussie cracked as she served to stay in the set at 4-5, committing back-to-back errors from 30-all to hand the opening frame to the teen.
Holds of serve were tricky to come by early in the second set. Just like the first, Mboko was broken in her opening game, double-faulting on break point, but this time was able to break back immediately. However, the Canadian found herself facing another break point in her second service game and again double-faulted to give the Aussie the edge for a second time. While she missed a chance to make it four-straight breaks, Mboko did eventually draw even in the sixth game, winning an epic rally at deuce before getting a net cord to go her way on break point.
Read also: Andreescu, Stakusic Fall in Hard-Fought Indian Wells Openers
Even though she had rallied from 1-3 down just like the first set, Mboko was not able to pull away from Birrell in the second. At 5-5, the Aussie ripped a forehand passing shot to bring up a break point where, for the third time in the set, the Canadian double-faulted to give her opponent a chance to serve out the set. However, the world No. 10 dug in and coaxed a slew of errors from Birrell to break right back and send the set to a tiebreak.
It looked like Mboko was going to cruise through the tiebreak when Birrell sent a backhand long on the second point to give away an early minibreak. The Canadian led by as much as 4-1 but her opponent turned the tables, winning four straight points to go up 5-4 and serve for the set. The teen showed why she is a Top 10 player, though, winning both of her opponent’s service points, including one with a remarkable backhand down the line from a defensive position, to go up 6-5 and then drew an error on her first match point.
Read also: Andreescu has impressively built the foundation for a 2026 resurgence
Mboko awaits the winner between Zeynep Sonmez and 23rd seed Anna Kalinskaya in the third round.
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov are also in action on Friday in Indian Wells.
Feature Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne
