Victoria Mboko adjusts to favorite status after Doha finals defeat

DOHA, Qatar—Six months ago, Victoria Mboko shot out of a cannon to win her first WTA 1000 title. The Canadian teenager seamlessly carried that momentum into the 2026 season and a second WTA 1000 final, but winning as a favorite proved trickier at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open when she faced Karolina Muchova in the championship match.

Mboko won back-to-back Top 10 matches in Doha to clinch a Top 10 debut of her own but lost crucial points to a more experienced Muchova and fell just short of a second WTA 1000 title, 6-4, 7-5.

Despite the disappointing defeat, the 19-year-old took a mature approach to her new role as a favorite in her post-match press conference:

Q. Last year when you were playing on the tour you were probably the underdog, not expected to win. Now you're in a position where you're expected to win a lot of matches you play against lower-ranked players. What's that mindset change like? How do you feel in that position being the favorite in many matches?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, I understand why I would be the favorite now most of the time. But there's still so many talented girls out there, and it's tennis, anything can happen. If I was the underdog and being able to play many top players and having a chance to win, I mean, many other people have that opportunity too. I'm not putting much pressure on myself, I just want to go out there and play.

Mboko will next head to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she’ll play her first tournament as an official Top 10 player.