What stood out to Coco Gauff about Victoria Mboko’s game after their Italian Open clash

Victoria Mboko made quite an impression on Saturday evening with her performance.

But back in April, things went differently. Gauff came out on top 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in their Italian Open round of 64 clash.

Having broken into the spotlight at a similar age herself, Gauff was quick to downplay comparisons between their careers. Still, there was one aspect of Mboko’s game she couldn’t ignore.

Gauff highlighted the Canadian’s movement as a standout feature of her game.

Speaking to the Roland Garros website, Gauff said: “I felt like playing myself because I feel like I move pretty well, she moves very well… As far as the other parts of her game, she’s obviously a big hitter, can play well, moves pretty well, has a nice backhand, same on the forehand.”

“I don’t want to say she plays like me ’cause she obviously doesn’t. We’re like closer in age.

“I would say on the movement side, athletically, she’s one of the best athletes on tour.”

What has Mboko said about facing Gauff?

Mboko spoke about the impact Gauff’s comments had on her game after winning the second round of qualifying at the French Open.

Despite losing their meeting at the Italian Open, she found plenty of positives in what the world No. 2 said afterward.

Mboko said: “It’s obviously a really great compliment especially coming from her, because, honestly, I felt during the match she was a lot better of an athlete than I was, and it kind of made me feel a little bit insecure on court.

“I mean, to have gone three sets with her, to kind of shake things up in the match, I think was a little bit better confidence for me, seeing what I can do and what I need to improve on at the end of the day, so I’m really grateful to have played her and I gained a lot of experience from that match.”