Coco Gauff has battled through her opening two matches in Montreal as she begins her US Open preparations.
After Gauff lost to Dayana Yastremska in the first round of Wimbledon, she took some time to recover before kicking off her North American hard-court season.
Making her return in Montreal for the Canadian Open, Gauff survived a tough test against Danielle Collins in round two to set up a third-round tie with Veronika Kudermetova.
Dropping the first set, it seemed like the American was heading out of the tournament, before Gauff came through to defeat Kudermetova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Next up for Gauff is home-favorite Victoria Mboko, a player she believes has the potential to be one of the very best.
Coco Gauff believes Victoria Mboko will be a top-ranked player soon
During her post-match press conference, Gauff previewed her last-16 clash with Mboko, looking back to their one previous encounter at the 2025 Italian Open.
“Yeah, she’s a great player. I mean, we played on clay, so it might be, well, it will be a different match,” she said.
“Obviously, she’s gotten more experience just being on tour and playing high-level players.
“So if I were to play her, it would be a tough match.”
Gauff defeated Mboko 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in Rome earlier this year, as the 18-year-old Canadian gave her a real scare when she took the first set.
As she prepares for her second career meeting with Mboko, Gauff shared her prediction about the world number 85.
“She’s definitely playing like one of the top players in the world right now,” said Gauff.
“Her ranking will definitely match that soon. So yeah, it would be a tough match.”
Defeating Kimberly Birrell, Sofia Kenin, and Marie Bouzkova en route to the last 16, Mboko moved herself into the top 70 in the ‘Live WTA Rankings’, as she continues her charge towards the top.
| Live Rank | Name | Nationality | Age | Points |
| 62 | Lucia Bronzetti | Italian | 26 | 968 |
| 63 | Ann Li | American | 25 | 963 |
| 64 | Yulia Starodubtseva | Ukrainian | 25 | 962 |
| 65 | Victoria Mboko | Canadian | 18 | 955 |
| 66 | Renata Zarazua | Mexican | 17 | 951 |
| 67 | Alexandra Eala | Filippino | 20 | 936 |
| 68 | Elina Avanesyan | Armenian | 22 | 933 |
If Mboko were to take down Gauff and qualify for her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Montreal, she could jump to as high as 55th in the ‘Live WTA Rankings’, a mightily impressive feat for a player of her age.
The Canadian’s 2025 breakout year has been incredible to watch, as Mboko continues to make a name for herself on the WTA Tour.
Victoria Mboko’s 2025 season
Mboko began the 2025 season ranked 350th in the world, but quickly made a move in the right direction, enjoying success on the ITF [International Tennis Federation] tour.
In January and February, Mboko remarkably won 22 consecutive matches without dropping a set, as she clinched four ITF titles.
A fifth title followed in March, as Mboko broke into the world’s top 200 and made the step up to the WTA Tour.
| Tournament | Final opponent | Result | Score |
| ITF Le Lamentin (Martinique), France | Clervie Ngounoue | Win | 7-5, 6-3 |
| ITF Petit-Bourg (Guadeloupe), France | Clervie Ngounoue | Win | 6-4, 6-0 |
| Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open, United States | Eva Vedder | Win | 7-5, 6-3 |
| ITF Manchester, United Kingdom | Manon Leonard | Win | 7-6, 6-2 |
| Porto Women’s Indoor ITF, Portugal | Harriet Dart | Win | 6-1, 6-1 |
Awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the Miami Open, Mboko won her first tour-level match, defeating Camila Osorio in round one before losing to Paula Badosa in a third-set tiebreaker in her second-round match.
A Billie Jean King Cup debut with Canada followed in April before Mboko made her Grand Slam debut in Paris.
Advancing through qualifying, Mboko reached the third round on her major debut without dropping a set.
- 2025 French Open Q1 – Victoria Mboko defeated Sinja Kraus, 6-4, 6-2
- 2025 French Open Q2 – Victoria Mboko defeated Kathinka von Deichmann, 6-3, 6-2
- 2025 French Open Q3 – Victoria Mboko defeated Kaja Juvan, 7-5, 6-3
- 2025 French Open 1R – Victoria Mboko defeated Lulu Sun, 6-1, 7-6
- 2025 French Open 2R – Victoria Mboko defeated Eva Lys, 6-4, 6-4
It was there that her run came to an end, losing out to eighth seed Qinwen Zheng in straight sets, 3-6, 4-6.
Becoming a top-100 player after the tournament, Mboko returned to Grand Slam qualifying at Wimbledon, advancing once more, before losing her second-round match against Hailey Baptiste.
The chances are Mboko will make the cut for the main draw of the US Open, thanks to her impressive results over the past few months, but she will be determined to pick up a few more big wins before she heads to New York.
Mboko will be hoping the next big win isn’t too far away, as she takes on Gauff for a place in the Canadian Open quarterfinals on Saturday, August 2.
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