Victoria Mboko names the top WTA player who she really wants to play against after her breakthrough season

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Victoria Mboko enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season on the WTA Tour in 2025.

The teenager burst onto the scene in front of a home crowd at the Canadian Open earlier this year, where she defeated Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka en route to hoisting a maiden WTA 1000 title.

Following a quarterfinal finish at the Pan Pacific Open, Mboko clinched her second tour-level title of the season at the Hong Kong Open.

In her first full season, the Canadian tallied a win-loss record of 60-14 across all levels and ended the year ranked 18th in the world.

She has proven herself against some of the best players in the world already, however, there is one star Mboko would love to face for the first time next season.

Victoria Mboko picks the one player she really wants to face

When asked in an interview with Match Point Canada who she would want to have a match with in 2026, Mboko responded: “Let’s go Sabalenka.

“She is number one in the world. Who doesn’t want to play number one in the world? That would be pretty fun to play her. That would be a cool experience, so why not?”

Mboko had a number of outstanding performances in 2025, but when choosing her favourite, the young star said: “I would say there were two, possibly.

“The one against Paula [Badosa] (At the Miami Open). And I would say that I really like my performance against Coco in Rome, when I played her for the first time.”

Mboko met Gauff for the first time at the Italian Open, and managed to take the first set off of her, but could not seal the victory in the end.

“I feel like prior to playing most of the clay court season I was not very confident,” said Mboko.

“I never really was confident with my game on clay, but playing Coco for the first time in Rome on Centre Court was such a big experience for me.

“It was my first time playing on a Centre Court in a tournament, so that was really nice, and I was able to stay in there with her as much as I could. It wasn’t my day that day, but it was a really nice match.”

Victoria Mboko’s 2025 Canadian Open campaign

Not many would have expected Mboko’s fairytale run at the Canadian Open, which kicked off with two straightforward wins against Kimberly Birrell and Sofia Kenin.

She then came back from a set down against Marie Bouzkova, before earning revenge against Gauff, beating the American convincingly, 6-1, 6-4.

Mboko swept aside Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the quarterfinals and narrowly clinched the victory in the final four against Rybakina in a decisive third set.

With another comeback win in the final over Osaka, Mboko became the second wildcard in the Open Era to win the Canadian Open, following Monica Seles in 1995.

She also became the third Canadian to win the tournament, and the third woman to hoist a WTA 1000 trophy as their maiden tour-level title.