Canadian teen sensation Victoria Mboko advances to NBO semifinals in Montreal
Global News
The Canadian teenage sensation booked her place in the National Bank Open semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Monday night.
Two days after ousting top seed Coco Gauff in 62 minutes, there was no letdown for Victoria Mboko — even if she needed to dig a little deeper to keep her dream run alive.
The Canadian teenage sensation booked her place in the National Bank Open semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Monday night.
The first set, despite her win, was messy and filled with errors for both players. The second got off to what Mboko called a “slow, rocky start,” with the 18-year-old from Toronto down 2-0 and a break early.
Then the momentum shifted. The rising star who rarely seems to lose finished strong, winning six straight games to close out the match.
“I was a fighter in that situation,” Mboko said. “That moment was just pure fight-or-flight instincts.
“I really wanted to do the best I could to break her back, and I did everything in my power to stay in there and match her, match what she was producing.”
Mission accomplished. She broke back in the fourth, sixth and eighth games while holding serve throughout.
Bouzas Maneiro’s backhand sailed long on match point, and Mboko dropped her arms and smiled in disbelief after 77 minutes on centre court at IGA Stadium. Then she ran to her handshake and blew kisses to the crowd while it celebrated with a standing ovation.
