Coco Gauff knows a thing or two about playing tennis and a player she raved about has now had a huge slice of luck with this year’s Wimbledon.
Although Wimbledon has started, some of the losers from qualifying are forced to stick around at events in the event of someone withdrawing.
Lucky losers are the norm when it comes to Grand Slam events, and it’s basically typical of life outside the world’s clutch of top players.
An injury to Anastasia Potapova has now seen a window of opportunity present itself to a player whom Gauff previously raved about.
Victoria Mboko receives Wimbledon call
The Canadian sensation was unlucky not to qualify for Wimbledon outright, coming through two matches at Roehampton before losing at the final hurdle to Priscilla Hon.
Now, she will be thrust into action on Court 4 this afternoon when she takes on the 25th seed, Magdalena Frech, after Potapova pulled out.
It gives the 18-year-old a chance to play at another Grand Slam after reaching the third round of the French Open last month in her maiden major tournament.
Mboko beat the very talented Lulu Sun at Roland Garros and also knocked out German player Eva Lys before losing to Chinese star Qinwen Zheng.
What Coco Gauff said about Victoria Mboko
Gauff won the title in Paris earlier this month when the final took place, beating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
The youngster was a big fan of Mboko when she came up against her at the Italian Open back in early May.
After Gauff squeezed through against her, she said in her press conference, as transcribed by The Express: “First, I saw her Miami Open. I didn’t know much about her before, but I’ve been following her since Miami. I think she’s a great player. I knew it was going to be a tough match.
“The ranking difference looks different, but she’s playing top-level tennis. I approached the match that way. It’s not a case of underestimation. I knew she was going to come out there and play great. Maybe I psyched myself out a little bit in the first set.”
“In the movement. I felt like I was playing myself because I feel like I move pretty well, and she moves very well. She has a great game, so I don’t want to say her game is like mine. For sure on the movement, I would say she’s up there with me on that.”
Now, Mboko has a golden opportunity to get a win under her belt at Wimbledon after gaining entry through the back door.
She will have nothing to lose against Frech, and it will be a fascinating watch to see her get underway this afternoon.
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