Victoria Mboko advances to third round at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Canada’s Victoria Mboko continued her rapid rise on the WTA Tour, moving into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open with a straight-sets victory Friday.
The 19-year-old from Toronto, seeded 10th at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament, defeated Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 7-6 (5) in second-round women’s singles action on 6 March 2026. Playing her first-ever match at the desert venue, Mboko fired seven aces, committed five double faults, and converted five of seven break-point opportunities in a hard-fought contest.
“It’s always special playing with the Canadian flags waving,” Mboko said after the match, reflecting on a supportive crowd during her debut at the event.
The win books Mboko a spot in the third round, where she will face the winner of the match between Coco Gauff and Kamilla Rakhimova. Mboko had received a first-round bye thanks to her Top 10 seeding.
Mboko’s run in Indian Wells is the latest highlight in a breakthrough 18-month period for the teenager. Last year, she became the first Canadian to win the National Bank Open in Montreal, stunning Naomi Osaka in the final. She also qualified for Wimbledon and made the second round, and became the youngest Canadian to win a main-draw match at Roland-Garros.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina on 26 August 2006 to Congolese parents Cyprien Mboko and Godee Kitadi, Mboko moved to Toronto as a small child and grew up watching tennis at Sobeys Stadium. She is the youngest of four tennis-playing siblings and is coached by former French star Nathalie Tauziat and Maxime Tchoutakian.
Mboko, who holds a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 10, has emphasised staying grounded amid the attention. “I’m just trying to keep learning every match,” she said recently.
She was joined in the third round at Indian Wells by fellow Canadians Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, making it a successful Friday for the Canadian contingent in the California desert.
Sources: BNP Paribas Open, Sportsnet, CBC, Tennis Canada, WTA