Victoria Mboko vs. Elena Rybakina: Where to Watch, WTA Montreal Preview

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Estimated start time: 6 p.m. ET, Wednesday, August 6

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Victoria Mboko vs. Elena Rybakina: Match Preview

“I feel really happy, first of all,” Mboko said at the start of her post-match press conference on Monday night.

She chose the right word: The 18-year-old Canadian’s Cinderella run to the semis in front of her home fans has been one of the happiest developments on either tour this year. With superstars missing in Toronto and Montreal, the tournament needed a spark, and the rookie has delivered one every other day so far. A little more than a week ago, Mboko was ranked 85th, and seemed to be someone to watch out for in the future. Now, after beating Coco Gauff in an hour, she’s must-see TV. She’ll never surprise anyone with her success again.

That said, beating her next opponent may be her biggest ask so far. Rybakina is a Wimbledon champion who won’t give her nearly as much time to set up for her shots as Gauff did. Mboko knows that first-hand, having faced Rybakina two weeks ago in D.C., and lost 6-3, 7-5. In that match, Rybakina pummeled her way to early leads in each set, before Mboko acclimated to the pace and started holding her own in rallies.

Even though it ended in a loss, the match was evidence that Mboko can stay with Rybakina from the baseline.

“I’m not expecting an easy match whatsoever,” Mboko says. “I played her, so I know what to expect. I think I just need to maybe up my level a little bit and just to stay in there with her. She has really great ground strokes, really great serves.”

Their match in D.C. was played on a side court in front of a sparse crowd. Rybakina knows the atmosphere will be a bit different inside the stadium in Montreal.

“I understand that a lot of people will cheer for her, and she’s young,’ Rybakina says. “She has nothing to lose. So it is dangerous, I would say. I’ll just try to focus on myself, on my serve especially, because I know if it’s really working, then I have much more chances. So that’s going to be the goal.” Winner: Mboko

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