'I love that': Chris Evert highlights what makes Victoria Mboko dangerous for opponents at US Open

Victoria Mboko’s rise has not gone unnoticed. The 18-year-old is going through a great season. Mboko has featured in 62 matches this year, where she has won 53 matches and suffered just nine defeats. Most recently, Mboko featured in the recently concluded Canadian Open as an unseeded player but went on to lift the title after beating the former world number one, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, in the final with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

While on her way to her first-ever WTA title at the highest level, Mboko defeated four Grand Slam winners. In the round of 64, Mboko defeated the former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. In the round of 16, Mboko got the better of the reigning French Open champion and the top-seeded America's Coco Gauff in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4. In the semifinals, Mboko came back from a set down and saved match points before eventually coming out on top against the former Wimbledon champion, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, with a score of 1-6, 7-6, 7-5.

Those performances have helped Mboko, who was playing in an ITF event not so long ago, but will be competing in the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, as one of the seeded players. Former world number one Chris Evert has recently spoken to Star, where she highlighted what she has loved about Mboko. Evert, who won 18 Grand Slams in her career, stated that Mboko’s never-say-die attitude has left her impressed.

“After watching her in Montreal, I saw a tremendous athlete who not only has explosive power, but control and consistency as well,’’ said Evert. “What impressed me the most was her mind. Her shot selection, her decision-making, her embracing the pressure. She wins, then moves on mentally to the next match, no letdown, just keeping her emotions in check and saving energy. I saw a quote where she hates to lose. I love that! As for things to improve, the real test will come when she is expected to win and there are more expectations. That pressure is different. The more she wins, the bigger the target on her back. But I have a sense she will handle that well.’’

Exciting to take part in US Open: Mboko

Mboko also spoke to The Star, where she highlighted how life has changed and how she is preparing for the next major event. Mboko stated that she was ‘super excited’ after getting a direct entry into the mega-event for the first time in her career. Mboko stated that she is ‘still the same person’ despite winning a WTA 1000 title in her career, which was also so early.

“Honestly, to be playing my first direct acceptance into a main draw is incredibly huge to me, let alone to be seeded,’’ said Mboko. “It’s completely another level. I’m super excited. I would have never thought I would be seeded into a slam this year but I feel really confident going into it. I’m still the same person. I grew up in Burlington. I’ve lived there pretty much all my life. Going home, it just felt like … well … going home. And that was a really nice heartwarming feeling for me. It was just pretty normal after a few pretty crazy days.’’

Mboko will have a tough outing in the first round of the US Open as she will face the two-time Grand Slam winner, the Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova. The 29-year-old has struggled with fitness concerns this season and has only managed to feature in 14 matches in 2025. Out of those matches, Krejcikova won eight matches and suffered six defeats.