CANADIAN teenager Victoria Mboko pulled off a major upset at the National Bank Open, defeating top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night (Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, PH time) to advance to the quarterfinals.
Mboko, who is 18 years old and ranked 85th in the world, completed the victory in just over an hour. She credited the home crowd’s energy for her success.
“When I was up 5-4, the crowd started cheering even louder, and everything got super noisy,” Mboko said. “I used that as more fuel for myself and to pump myself up a little bit more. I just used the crowd to my advantage as much as I could.”
The win marks a significant moment for Mboko, who had lost to Gauff in Rome just a few months prior. She said that experience was on her mind during the match.
“I had flashbacks to when I played her in Rome a little bit,” she explained. “I just remember when she came out playing even better and stepped it up a bit better. I wanted to step my game up a little bit more and make sure I matched whatever she was producing.”
For Gauff, the loss continues a challenging stretch since her French Open victory, dropping her record to 2-3 in that time. She also struggled with 24 unforced errors and five double-faults during the match.
“She’s playing high-level tennis,” Gauff said of her opponent. “I think that’s what showed today. I think she was the better player.”
Mboko will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain in the quarterfinals.
In other women’s action, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan also secured quarterfinal spots. Kostyuk, the 24th seed, defeated American McCartney Kessler 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, while Rybakina, the ninth seed, beat Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
On the men’s side, top-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced after his opponent, Francisco Cerundolo, retired with an abdominal injury while trailing 6-4, 1-0.
Zverev will face defending champion Alexei Popyrin in the next round. The 2017 champion and world No. 3 became the top seed after several higher-ranked players, including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, withdrew from the event.
American Alex Michelsen also reached the quarterfinals by defeating fellow countryman Learner Tien 6-3, 6-3. He will play Karen Khachanov, who beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-5. / FROM THE WIRES
