“I was thinking it’s going to be a new day today” – Mboko avenges Adelaide loss to Andreeva to reach Doha quarters
The Canadian will face either second seed Elena Rybakina or China’s Qinwen Zheng in the last eight
Victoria Mboko, Doha 2026
Image Credit: Imago / Psnewz
Canada’s Victoria Mboko won the battle of teens over Russia’s Mirra Andreeva in the third round of the WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open in a third set tiebreak on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals.
Mboko, seeded 10th, saved a match point in the 10th game of the final set before winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) and said she was lucky to come through in the end.
“The match was very close. She had a match point in her service game, and the tiebreaker was also very close. I feel like I came out with some very clutch shots at the end,” the 19-year-old told the media after her win. “I think we both were pretty tired when it came to the tiebreak. I think I felt like I was lucky enough to have some good shots in the great moments.”
The win avenged a loss to 18-year-old Andreeva, seeded fifth this week, in the Adelaide final earlier this year. Andreeva won that match 6-3, 6-1 but Mboko said she did not pay too much attention to that result coming into this match.
“I think I was kind of more energized, in a way,” Mboko responded when asked what she did diffrerently today. “I wasn’t feeling 100 percent in the Adelaide final. She also did play really solid tennis. She completely deserved that win. Today it’s a different tournament, we’re in a different place, different courts, and it’s just a different vibe overall. I don’t really like to dwell on the past, and I just was thinking it’s going to be a new day today.”
“Whoever wins, I just know I’m going to have a really tough opponent tomorrow” – Mboko on quarter-final
The win moves Mboko into a quarter-final clash against either Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina or China’s Qinwen Zheng. The Canadian has won one of her three career meetings against Rybakina so far and has lost her only meeting to Zheng. BUt she knows whoever comes through that third round match will be a difficult opponent for her.
“I’ll probably be watching the match when I get to the hotel. Whoever wins, I just know I’m going to have a really tough opponent tomorrow. Maybe I can try to watch and see if I can pick up on some things to do tomorrow, but I’m entertained to see their match first,” she told the media.
After her breakout season in 2025, Mboko is not putting too much pressure on herself. Her goal is to try and a better version of herself and let the rest take care of itself.
“I don’t like to put pressure on myself, but I feel like no matter where I am, every year I try to be better, be a better version of myself the next year,” she said earlier in the week in Doha. “Honestly, I just want to enjoy myself, my time on the tour, being grateful to be on the WTA tour, of course. I think the results will come after. Who knows, maybe it could be better than last year. It was a pretty insane year last year, but you never know what the future has in store.”
