Who is Victoria Mboko? Canadian teen star set for top-10 French Open showdown

Oli Dickson Jefford 29 May 2025 7:22 PM

Victoria Mboko fistpumps during a match.

Teen star Victoria Mboko has proven one of the stories of the French Open, with the Canadian reaching the third round as a qualifier.

As she continues her campaign at Roland Garros, we look at all you need to know about the 18-year-old looking to battle her way towards the very top of the sport.

Early and personal life

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August 2006, Mboko is part of a strong tennis family.

She started playing tennis as a young girl after being inspired by her two older brothers and her older sister, all of whom competed in the sport.

Two of her siblings, sister Gracia and brother Kevin, played at collegiate level.

Mboko’s parents, Cyprien Mboko and Godee Kitadi, are originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though they fled the country in 1999 amid war and civil unrest.

They initially settled in the US before moving to Toronto, where Mboko was raised, ultimately choosing to represent Canada.

Several of the 18-year-old’s family members are in Paris with her for her Grand Slam debut, and she opened up earlier this week about the impact they had made.

“In the stands were my father, my sister, and my brother, revealed Mboko.

“Both my brothers are older than me, much older, so I feel they have much more experience in tennis than I do, although I think I am now competing at a higher level than theirs.

“They all support me a lot, they are all very positive with me every day and even more on match days. All these people are key to my development and how I project myself.

“Even my father, I feel he has made many sacrifices for me, so I also thank him for being here.”

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Rapid rankings rise

Mboko started 2025 as the world No 333 – but is now set to crack the top 100 of the WTA Rankings after Roland Garros.

After a string of titles at W35 level, Mboko won a significant title at W75 level in Porto back in March, beating former top-100 player Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-1 in the final.

She then received a Miami Open wildcard towards the end of the month and impressed with two impressive displays, beating Camila Osorio before pushing 10th seed Paula Badosa to a third-set tiebreak.

Mboko later impressed at the Italian Open, coming through qualifying to reach the second round in Rome, taking a set off fourth seed and eventual runner-up Coco Gauff.

After Rome, the 18-year-old then reached a WTA 125 final in Parma before an impressive run through French Open qualifying.

In the Roland Garros main draw, Mboko started her campaign with a 6-1, 7-6(4) victory over Lulu Sun before beating Eva Lys 6-4, 6-4.

Victory over Lys ensured that the world No 120 would break the top 100 of the WTA Rankings, with the Canadian up to world No 89 in the live rankings.

Mboko now faces eighth seed Zheng Qinwen, with the Chinese star yet to drop a set in Paris.

“She [Qinwen] is currently in the top 10, which is important,” said Mboko.

“She has beaten great players, and she is an incredible athlete, so I expect a great battle. I hope to give a great battle, but it will be tough.”