19-year-old Victoria Mboko has taken the women’s tour by storm since her arrival last year. After dominating the ITF circuit at the start of the 2025 season, she set her sights on conquering the main tour. She notched her first WTA win at the Miami Open by beating Camila Osorio.
Mboko then lost to Paula Badosa in the second round, though she went down fighting in three sets. A third-round showing at the French Open on her Major debut was another impressive feat. However, it was her triumph at the Canadian Open that made her a household name.
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Mboko has continued to thrive in 2026 as well. She started the season with a runner-up finish in Adelaide, followed by a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open. She’s now through to the final of the Qatar Open, her second at the WTA 1000 level. She credits her parents, Cyprien Mboko and Godee Kitadi, for her rapid rise.
Mboko and Kitadi originally hail from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were forced to flee the country due to the political instability in the late 1990s. They had two children, Gracia and Kevin, when they left their homeland. Kitadi was pregnant with their third child, David, when they moved to Montreal, Canada, in 1999.
Kitadi made the most out of their fresh start in Canada. She enrolled herself in college once again to finish her studies and graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Montreal. The family’s time in Canada was brief, and they moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in the United States in 2000.
Victoria Mboko was born in Charlotte in 2006. However, the family returned to Canada when she was just two months old and settled there for good. Her father’s love for tennis inspired his children to take up the sport, and he spared no expense when it came to their training. He was a huge fan of Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and Jim Courier, among others.
All of her siblings pursued a career in tennis to varying degrees of success. Gracia and Kevin mostly played college tennis, while David’s career was nipped in the bud due to his eyesight issues. Thanks to her parents’ unwavering support, Victoria has already surpassed her siblings, and could soon outshine some of the biggest names in the sport.
Victoria Mboko set to enter the top 10 of the WTA rankings
Victoria Mboko was ranked outside the top 200 in February 2025. She swiftly established herself as the next big thing with her results over the next few months. Her victory at the Canadian Open, and later at the Hong Kong Open, helped her finish the 2025 season ranked No. 18.
Mboko has shown no signs of slowing down in 2026. She has ensured herself of a place in the top 10 of the WTA rankings by reaching the final of the Qatar Open. If she beats Karolina Muchova in the final on Saturday, February 14, then will be ranked No. 9, otherwise she will have to make do with a new peak of No. 10.
Mboko doesn’t have too many points to defend over the next few months. It wouldn’t be surprising to see her cracking the top five in the coming weeks if she sustains her current form.
Edited by Rohit
