We are just at the beginning of Victoria Mboko's greatness. Serena Williams has already said she believes the Canadian can be the WTA No. 1 eventually, and Mboko is doing nothing to dismiss that theory currently.
She is only 19, has two titles to her name, a convincing victory against Coco Gauff at the Canadian Open in 2025 (on her way to taking home the trophy), and is starting to inch ever closer to a Grand Slam victory.
This week at the Qatar Open, Mboko has been no short of ruthless toward her opponents. Few seem to be able to beat her so far in 2026 as it is; she simply keeps making deep runs at events. In Qatar, after punishing Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals 6-3 6-2, she reached her second final of the year. She isn't simply beating players who aren't ranked high, either.
Victoria Mboko keeps inching toward the top 5 on the WTA tour
She beat Madison Keys, for instance, in the quarterfinals at the Adelaide Open. She lost in the final to Mirra Andreeva at that event, but Mboko got her revenge against Andreeva in Qatar, defeating her in the round of 16.
In the next match, she defeated a red-hot Elena Rybakina, who just won the Australian Open, in the quarterfinals. Ostapenko wasn't a very difficult match for her, either. The Canadian led 5-0 in the second set before stunningly being broken.
Maybe that is one thing that Victoria Mboko will need to work on as she fights her way to the top 5: She must be sure to close out matches as strongly as she had played them up until that point. But every player needs to learn that, and it only really comes with experience.
What makes the Canadian so difficult is her serve and her backhand. The force of each is unexpected, and when she is in peak form, nearly unreturnable. Consistency is a problem for every player, but especially younger ones. Even 21-year-old Coco Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam winner, has issues with her serve and forehand many times.
Still, it is clear that Victoria Mboko is going to be a force to be reckoned with for the next decade or so. After reaching the final of the Qatar Open, where she will either face Maria Sakkari or Karolina Muchova, she is now No. 10 on the WTA tour, and will get to No. 9 with a victory.