Karolina Muchova is this year’s Qatar Open champion, claiming her first WTA 1000-level title at the expense of Victoria Mboko.
It was a stellar display from the Czech superstar, who completely nullified the various threats that her young opponent posed.
However, Victoria Mboko will rue the chances she missed, particularly in the second set when she went a break up, and then was 0-30 up on the Muchova serve at 4-5.
Speaking on court afterwards, she cut a downbeat figure, but managed to remain hopeful in the face of such disappointment.
Every word of Victoria Mboko’s runners-up speech after the Qatar Open final
Asked to react to what must have been a crushing defeat for the 18-year-old sensation, Mboko was gracious in defeat, as she gave a nervous speech.
She claimed: “Yeah, well, first of all, I want to thank everyone who came to support this week. Everyone did a really great job, and it was just amazing.
Who is your favorite player on the WTA Tour right now?
“I want to thank Karolina and her team, you played very well. Hopefully you can have many great matches in the future, and hopefully I can play you more in the future, so thank you.
“I want to thank all the sponsors, Total Energy and Qatar Tennis Association. And yeah, all the sponsors, all the supervisors and everyone who helped make this tournament possible.
“And lastly, I want to thank my team, Natalie, Carrie, my dad, for supporting me this week.
“It’s not the outcome I wanted, but I think there are so many positives to take away and thank you.”
Elsewhere, Mboko spoke about Serena Williams’ potential comeback, looking beyond this Qatar tournament.
Victoria Mboko is announcing herself as the best teenager on the WTA Tour
Whilst losing in the final will be tough for young Mboko to take, this week represents yet another stunning showcase of the elite talents this teenager possesses.
In fact, she might be making a case for her as the best in her age bracket on the entire tour, rivalling Mirra Andreeva for that spot.
Although the Russian has one more WTA 1000 trophy than Mboko, the form that this Canadian has exhibited this year already suggests that she could surpass her in the coming months.
What’s even more frightening is that she has only made one appearance at each of the four Grand Slam events.
Which WTA player would benefit the most from playing best-of-five sets?
Once she gets experience under her belt, it could be game over for the rest of the WTA Tour.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
