From match point down, Victoria Mboko kickstarts Mirra Andreeva rivalry with Doha comeback

DOHA, Qatar—A point from defeat against Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko was utterly unfazed.

“Yeah, I feel like there's been so many times where I'm down a match point, or the opponent has a match point, but I don't really think much of it,” the Canadian said in her post-match press conference. “I just think of it as any other point in the match.”

🖥️📲 The Match In 15: Mboko def. Andreeva, Doha 3R

The 19-year-old Mboko was making her debut at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open and up against an opponent who’d just beaten her a month ago to win the Adelaide International title. With a second straight defeat to her fellow teenager on the cards, Mboko stepped into the court and drew a double fault from Andreeva to stay alive and later advance, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5).

“I think it's important to know that you never know when the match is over until it's over and just to fight until the end,” said Mboko.

Though Andreeva is a year younger than Mboko, the 18-year-old has been a fixture on the Hologic WTA Tour since shortly after her 16th birthday, when she reached her first WTA 1000 fourth round at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Watching Andreeva’s rise was inspiring for Mboko, who was born in North Carolina but resides in Ontario, Canada. Mboko burst onto the scene last summer when she won the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montréal and followed that run up with a second title in Hong Kong to finish the 2025 season ranked inside the Top 20.

“Seeing her do so well at such a young age, it's very motivating,” she said. “Knowing her for such a long time, it was nice. I mean, when I kind of made my way to the tour, having someone who I knew and could kind of relate to in a way, it was really nice. Yeah, I can definitely see myself playing her a lot more in the future. She's just really nice to have around.”

The two began their pro-level rivalry just before the Australian Open earlier this year, with Andreeva overwhelming an injured Mboko with the loss of just four games in the Adelaide final.

“I was kind of more energized, in a way,” Mboko explained after reaching her first quarterfinal in Doha. “I wasn't feeling 100 percent in the Adelaide final. She also did play really solid tennis. She completely deserved that win.

“Today it's a different tournament, we're in a different place, different courts, and it's just a different vibe overall. I don't really like to dwell on the past, and I just was thinking it's going to be a new day today.”

The no-nonsense Mboko, who reached her first Grand Slam second week at the Australian Open last month, was eager not to repeat history in Doha and quickly took the lead in the opening set. Andreeva rallied and twice led by a break in the third—serving for the match at 5-4—but Mboko kept pressing and overwhelmed Andreeva in the final-set tiebreaker.

“The match was very close,” Mboko said. “She had a match point in her service game, and the tiebreaker was also very close. I feel like I came out with some very clutch shots at the end.

“Yeah, I think we both were pretty tired when it came to the tiebreak. I think I felt like I was lucky enough to have some good shots in the great moments.”

Mboko, who played doubles alongisde Coco Gauff earlier this week, will take part in another high-profile match-up regardless of who she plays next: Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina takes on Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to kick off the night session.

“I'll probably be watching the match when I get to the hotel,” Mboko admitted. ‘Whoever wins, I just know I'm going to have a really tough opponent tomorrow. Maybe I can try to watch and see if I can pick up on some things to do tomorrow, but I'm entertained to see their match first!”