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Montreal – When the Canadian player makes a large splash on their home tournament, the village gets bigger.
And so when the 18-year-old Victoria Mboko practiced on Sunday, one day after her upset victory at World No. 2 Coco Gauff and for her quarter-final match at the Omnium Banque National against non-SEEDED Jessica Bouzas Maleiro Monday evening, the court was busy.
There was head coach Nathalie Tauziat. Tennis Canada Head of Women’s Tennis Noelle van Lottum. Tennis Canada Physical Trainer Virginie Tremblay. Her father Cyprien. Her agent Marijn Bal. And looked down from the next court were Tennis Canada High Performance Chief Guillaume Marx and national trainer Nicolas Perrotte.
This is what it looked like. It is probably only the beginning. If you get big, everyone wants to enter.
It was a steep and fast turnout to the top for Mboko, which turns 19 in three weeks and which was arranged at number 333 at the start of the season.
She has gone 50-9 and counting so far. And when she beats Bouzas Maneiro on Monday evening, she jumps into the top 50.
Her run in Montreal has been a huge help for a tournament that wants to sell an extra 80-85,000 tickets with the new extensive draw this year.
And although the level of her tennis is a surprise for the more casual fans, you have already seen it if you have paid attention to her efforts in recent months – much of them here on Open Court.
(For all open courts Videos and photo galleries from Mboko, click here).
Only a few weeks ago, after a late Wildcard Mboko got in the main table on the Mubadala Citi DC Open instead of having to go through the qualification, she booked a quality victory over the Russian Anastasia Potapova.
Potapova, currently at number 44 after a year in which she is struggling with injuries, has been as high as No. 21 and is a talented opponent. Mboko defeated her 6-2, 6-4 before she lost in two narrow sets to Elena Rybakina in the second round.
Before the start of the tournament, she spoke with Open Court and TVA Sports about how things have changed lately – just a bit.
In that weekend, Mboko practiced Ngounoue with the American Clervie (Magloire), who is only a month older and was two weeks ago.
The two have a lot in common. Both are daughters of immigrants from French -speaking African countries (in the case of Ngounoue, from Cameroon) who came to the US
Both were top juniors – Ngounoue, even more than Mboko. She is a former No. 1 who won the title of the Junior Girls’ Singles in Wimbledon 2023 without dropping a single set. She also won the 2023 Roland Garros Juniors Girls’ Doubles Title, and the title of Australian Open Girls from 2022 (Mboko and Kayla Cross beat in the final). They never played each other in Singles on the Junior Circuit.
But when they both arrived at the French -speaking Caribbean islands to start the 2025 season, they saw a lot from each other.
Mboko and Cadans Brace defeated Ngounoue and partner Olivia Lincer in the final of the first in Le Lamentin, Martinique. And then Ngounoue and Mboko worked together the next week in Petit-Bourg, Martinique and won the title there.
They also played each other in the singles final of both tournaments. Both won by Mboko to start her rocket -like turnout.
Mboko arrived in Martinique ranked no. 333; Ngounoue was ranked higher, at number 280.
Ngounoue has already played the US Open three times. She has trained for years with the Mouratoglou Academy. And in DC she was led by old Sloane Stephens coach Kamau Murray. Both young women are unmistakably talented.
But next Monday, Mboko is probably in the top 50; Ngounoue, who jumped in the top 200 for the first time a few weeks ago, will be around no. 212.
Every path is so different. And everyone has their time.
So you just never know.
But this is the time of Mboko.
She will be the favorite Monday evening against Bouzas Maleiro – and that is a new experience for the new player who is not expected to win almost all her matches at the highest level.
There is also a backup of a big win, such as the one on Gauff on Saturday.
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