Victoria Mboko states how she feels about having to play against Leylah Fernandez after their first meeting this year

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At the end of her impressive breakthrough season, Victoria Mboko finished her debut campaign by clinching a second WTA title.

The Canadian, who secured her first tour-level crown at WTA 1000 level in Montreal, won the Hong Kong Open in her last appearance in 2025.

There, Mboko defeated top stars such as Alexandra Eala and Anna Kalinskaya en route to the semifinals, where she came up against her compatriot, Leylah Fernandez.

In her bout with Fernandez, the teenager went a set down, but fought her way back to win in three sets and advance to the final, where she ultimately defeated Cristina Bucsa to hold the trophy aloft.

Recently, Mboko discussed the meeting with her fellow Canadian and revealed she found it ‘awkward’.

Victoria Mboko talks about playing Leylah Fernandez for the first time

In an interview with Match Point Canada, Mboko said: “I think as soon as the match begins, I really don’t care who is on the other side of the court.

“But off the court, when I know I am going to face Leylah, it was kind of awkward for me, but once you step on the court, things change.

“Leylah is a super nice girl, and I know she is an incredible player and incredible fighter, so I knew that I really had to bring my A game that day and bring out some good tennis.

“It was a really great match and a great battle, but it’s never fun to play a Canadian. I wish maybe I could have played her in the finals, that would be a little bit better.

“But I still love Leylah so much, and it’s never easy to play. Especially after, it was so awkward for me, but at the end of the day, it’s just a match, and we are probably going to play each other so many more times.”

Victoria Mboko’s first full season by the numbers

Mboko finished her debut season on the WTA Tour ranked 18th in the world, having started the year outside the top 300.

Across all levels, Mboko tallied an impressive record of 60 wins to just 14 losses during her 2025 campaign.

At Grand Slams, Mboko’s best result was a third-round finish, which she achieved at Roland Garros after coming through qualifying.

With her triumph at the Canadian Open, Mboko became only the third woman to win her maiden tour-level title at a WTA 1000 event.

She followed Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu in the list of players to achieve the feat, who both did so at Indian Wells in 2018 and 2019, respectively.