Victoria Mboko was one of the WTA Tour’s biggest breakout stars in 2025, having mainly shot to fame for her remarkable tournament run in August.
However, before claiming her maiden Masters 1000 title in her home country, there had been signs that this Canadian teenager was building towards something special.
After all, making her debut at that level in Miami, she won her first-ever match before being defeated by Paula Badosa in a third-set tiebreaker.
Then, in Rome, she lost to Coco Gauff, again in a deciding third set.
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Mboko even won her first two Grand Slam matches at Roland Garros as well, highlighting her steady progress and comfort on the biggest stage.
And yet, that did not make her Canadian Open title any less unexpected.
Victoria Mboko explains where she wants to improve in 2026
Few people would have expected Mboko to have made a deep run in Montreal, although there was hope heading into her home event.
However, that hope swiftly materialised into genuine promise as she soared through the rounds, defeating stars like Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka on her way to the biggest title of her career.
And yet, despite a standout year where she broke into the top 20, the 19-year-old is keen not to rest on her laurels. Speaking to Match Point Canada, she recently outlined the area of her game she still wants to improve heading into 2026.
Mboko claimed: “I feel like movement could always be better. I think when my movement is good, and I’m well set for each ball, I think everything comes really clean off my racket or being able to position myself.
“I feel like when I am moving well, I am really well into the match and I really get things going.
“I feel like movement can always be better, regardless of how good a mover you are.”
Then asked if she plans to play more doubles in the new year, Mboko added: “I can most definitely see myself playing more doubles next year. I actually kind of was usually backing off of it due to injuries and just the time spent on court.
“As a junior I used to play lots. I think I really want to start playing more doubles, so it would be nice. And it would also improve my net game, because you don’t often see me come to the net in matches, so that would be cool to improve part of my game which would get me better as a singles player as well.”
Players’ and pundits’ reaction to Victoria Mboko’s 2025 season
Mboko’s Masters 1000 title marked one of the outstanding stories of 2025, and that was widely recognised by many pundits and players alike.
Reacting to that triumph, Billie Jean King and Gauff congratulated Mboko, with the former branding it ‘magic’.
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Elsewhere, Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula both agreed that the teenage sensation had been the most improved player on the WTA Tour this season too.
And finally, reacting to her own sensational campaign, Mboko claimed: “If I’d told myself at the beginning of the year that I’d be No. 18 in the world? Heck no, absolutely not!”
