Rick Macci, the former coach of Serena and Venus Williams, has recently shared his thoughts on the rising Canadian talent, Victoria Mboko. The world No. 13 is impressively leading her campaign at the WTA 1000 outdoor hard-court event in Doha and has reached the quarter-final round, where she will be clashing against the Australian Open women’s singles champion, Elena Rybakina.
Rick Macci Predicts a Bright Future for Victoria Mboko As the Star Impresses at Doha
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has begun her 2026 season with the Adelaide International, where she reached the title match. She had defeated world No. 16 Madison Keys, world No. 28 Anna Kalinskaya, and others to reach the final round.
She then entered the first Grand Slam of the season as the 17th seed and delivered impressive performances at Melbourne Park, surpassing Emerson Jones, Caty McNally, and Clara Tauson, reaching the fourth round, and falling to eventual finalist world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She also posted a novel feat of reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
The 19-year-old made her debut at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, and with her win over Andreeva in the round of 16, she reached her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal and clinched her third top ten win. Mboko defeated Andreeva, settling her score, as the latter had defeated her in the title match of the Adelaide International.
Mboko has entered the Qatar Open, scheduled from Feb. 8 to 14, 2026, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, as the 10th seed. Her impressive style and performances recently garnered praise from Rick Macci, the former coach of Williams’ sister and Hall of Famers Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati.
READ MORE: Victoria Mboko Hugs Mirra Andreeva After Tense Fight, Reflects on Her Revenge in Doha
In his X post, Macci reflected that Mboko’s serve, backhand, and forehand, along with her multifaceted abilities on court, could make her an elite player. He mentioned, “Mboko has the raw firepower on the three big tickets items that spells a future number one. Add in great make up speed to live another day and Vic the quick is here to stay. @WTA”
Mboko has the raw firepower on the three big tickets items that spells a future number one. Add in great make up speed to live another day and Vic the quick is here to stay. @WTA
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) February 12, 2026
In the Qatar Open, she surpassed Marie Bouzková, Vera Zvonareva, and the fifth-seeded Andreeva with a final score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) in two hours and 10 minutes. She also played in the doubles category with world No. 5 Coco Gauff, as they were defeated in the round of 32 by Cristina Bucșa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
