Toronto teen Victoria Mboko breaks through to French Open main draw

By Canadian Press on May 23, 2025.

PARIS — Victoria Mboko is into her first Grand Slam main draw after beating Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan 7-5, 6-3 in the final round of French Open qualifying Friday.

The 18-year-old from Toronto hit two aces, converted six of nine break-point opportunities and closed the match in 93 minutes on Court 12.

It’s the latest breakthrough in a season where she’s won 40 of 45 matches, mostly on the lower-tier ITF circuit, with five titles and eye-catching appearances at WTA events in Miami and Rome, where she took a set off world No. 2 Coco Gauff.

Mboko joins Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., in the women’s singles draw at Roland-Garros, and fellow Canadians Félix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo, both of Montreal, and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont, on the men’s side.

Fernandez and Diallo will also compete in doubles, while Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski teams up with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe in women’s doubles.

Rob Shaw of North Bay, Ont., received a wild card into the wheelchair quad singles and doubles draws.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.

The Canadian Press