Victoria Mboko is set to face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the Australian Open, in what will be the very first meeting between the two on the WTA Tour. In light of this match-up, Mboko opened up about facing the two-time Australian Open champion.
Sabalenka, the top seed at the Melbourne Major, secured her place in the fourth round by defeating wild card Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan, and most recently, Anastasia Potapova.
Victoria Mboko Opens Up About Facing Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open
Mboko, who is seeded 17th at the tournament, began her campaign by winning against wild card Emerson Jones with a score of 6-4, 6-1 in the first round. She then advanced to the fourth round after eliminating Caty McNally (6-4, 6-3) in the second round and knocking out 14th seed Clara Tauson (7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3) in the third round.
After her victory over Tauson, during the post-match press conference, Mboko spoke about facing Sabalenka. She described the opportunity to play against the Belarusian as “super cool,” noting that she has never faced a current World No. 1 on Tour. The Canadian stated that she is anticipating that their match will be held on Rod Laver Arena, a venue where she has yet to compete.
“Yeah, I think it’s super cool. I’ve never played a current number one in the world, so that’s going to be a very different experience. I assume we’d be playing on Rod Laver as well, so I’ve never played on a Grand Slam center court either. So, a lot of firsts,” Mboko said.
The World No. 16 expressed her excitement about playing against the four-time singles Grand Slam champion at Rod Laver Arena, emphasizing that not many players get to experience such an opportunity, calling it “cool.”
“I’m just really excited. It’s something not many people get to experience, and to be doing that on Sunday is, I think, really cool. And, you know, just to show what I got,” she added.
The winner of the fourth round match between Mboko and Sabalenka at the 2026 Australian Open will move on to face either 29th seed Iva Jović or Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals.
In addition to her singles campaign, Mboko is also participating in the doubles event alongside Jović. The duo have reached the second round, where they will compete against the fourth-seeded pair of Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai.
