MELBOURNE: Victoria Mboko arrived at her maiden Australian Open with little expectation, but the Canadian teenager continues to rewrite her own script in Melbourne. On Friday, the 19-year-old reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, edging Denmark’s 14th seed Clara Tauson 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3 in a gripping contest at Melbourne Park.
The victory earned Mboko a landmark first career meeting with world number one Aryna Sabalenka, with a quarter-final berth now at stake. It also marked her best-ever result at a major, underlining her rapid rise on the WTA Tour.
Mboko first caught global attention last year when she became the youngest player since Serena Williams to defeat four Grand Slam champions in a single tournament on her way to winning the Canadian Open in Montreal. Her strong form has carried into 2026, highlighted by a run to the Adelaide final before her impressive showing in Melbourne.
“I didn’t really have any expectations on myself since I’d never been here before,” Mboko said after the match. “It’s my first fourth round in a Grand Slam and my first Australian Open, so this is a really cool experience.”
Relaxed yet ambitious, Mboko added that playing multiple matches on the big stadium courts has been a thrill. Against Sabalenka, she now faces her toughest test yet — but with milestones already falling, the fearless teenager looks ready to embrace the challenge.
