Elena Rybakina Expects Tough Challenge from ‘Dangerous’ Teen Sensation Victoria Mboko in Montreal: 'She Has Nothing to Lose'

Elena Rybakina has scheduled a blockbuster match against teen sensation Victoria Mboko after receiving a walkover from Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open. The home favorite, also the Coco Gauff conqueror, knocked out Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her quarterfinal match.

Rybakina is chasing her second title of the season following her Strasbourg Open victory. The Kazakh ace hasn’t yet won a WTA 1000 tournament since the 2023 Italian Open. Since that win, she has made it to two finals in this category: at the 2024 Qatar Open and the Miami Open the same year, losing both to Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins, respectively.

At present, her plan to tackle the 18-year-old Mboko is to remain focused only on her game because she is expecting nothing but a tough challenge from the newcomer.

Yeah, she’s a tough opponent. She has really good strokes, and she plays fast, and she has really good serve. I feel like in Washington it was also a bit difficult for both of us since it was a night match, and the conditions were, like, very different. Now we are playing here, and it’s more consistent, I would say.

Mboko has made it to a semifinal of a WTA 1000 event for the first time. The Canadian Open is also her third tournament in this category, as prior to Montreal, she had reached the Miami Open and Italian Open second rounds. Mboko also made her Grand Slam debut at the 2025 French Open, where she had secured a spot in the main draw following the qualifying rounds.

So she’s definitely dangerous. She has nothing to lose, and I’m sure she’s enjoying out there. Yeah, it’s going to be a tough one.

Elena Rybakina added

Rybakina has two WTA 1000 titles to her name. She lifted the 2023 Indian Wells and the Italian Open in the same year. In the Canadian Open, Rybakina hasn’t yet advanced to the final and will be playing her second semifinal following the 2023 season.

Victoria Mboko on Coco Gauff’s errors during their Canadian Open match

Mboko tied her head-to-head record over Coco Gauff to 1-1 after their Canadian Open clash. The American ace was aiming to reach the semifinal of the tournament for the first time and was expected to give a tough competition to the teenager, but it took the latter just an hour and two minutes to eliminate the two-time Grand Slam singles champion.