“She really has the chance to win many Grand Slams”: Felix Auger-Aliassime confident in fellow Canadian Mboko

Félix Auger-Aliassime filled his compatriot Victoria Mboko with praise after a week in which both competed in finals in their respective tournaments. The 25-year-old Canadian backed his compatriot as a candidate to win Grand Slam titles.

Felix fell just short of a second consecutive ATP Tour title on Sunday, losing 6-3, 6-2 to Alex de Minaur in the final of the ABN AMRO Open. The defeat ended a strong week for him – and an eight-match winning streak, after lifting the trophy in Montpellier just one week earlier. Despite the loss, Auger-Aliassime’s run to back-to-back finals reinforces his standing at No. 7 in the ATP rankings.

The 25-year-old remains Canada’s highest-ranked male player, ahead of Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo, who sit at No. 35 and No. 39 respectively. On the women’s side, Leylah Fernandez holds the No. 29 position. Yet much of the attention this last week shifted to 19-year-old Victoria Mboko and her breakthrough performance at the Qatar Open.

However, the Canadian who stole the spotlight this past week was the 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, who reached her second WTA 1000 final, this time in Doha, becoming the first teenage finalist at the tournament since 2016. Along the way, she defeated world No. 24 Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals and earlier eliminated both world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and No. 5 Mirra Andreeva. Although she fell to Karolina Muchova 4-6, 5-7 in the final, the result secured her a Top 10 ranking.

Auger-Aliassime shared the court with Mboko earlier this season at the United Cup, and he did not hesitate to underline the significance of her progress. While processing his own narrow miss in Rotterdam, he turned attention to the broader picture of Canadian tennis and the emergence of another potential contender at the top level.

“I am always happy when the other Canadian tennis players are doing well,” commented the 25-year-old in a recent interview with BolaVip. “Gabriel Diallo had a great year last year and he is a really good friend of mine. Shapovalov did well in Dallas, Mboko did amazing things in Doha, so I am really happy.”

He acknowledged that Canada operates with fewer numbers compared to larger tennis nations, but argued that this has strengthened internal bonds and collective ambition. “The thing is, compared to American, French or Italian players, we do not have as many. Obviously, the population is a lot smaller than in the USA, but we really pride ourselves on every player we have.”

Auger-Aliassime was particularly emphatic about Mboko’s level in Doha, where she navigated a demanding draw with composure. He described her tennis as being at an “incredibly high level” and emphasised that her age only adds to the scale of the achievement.

“We all support each other so everyone can have the best career possible. We are all very good friends, and on the women’s side as well, it is amazing to see a girl like Mboko being so young and playing such amazing tennis. She is playing at an incredibly high level,” Auger-Aliassime said.

He went further, projecting long-term success at the sport’s biggest events and offering personal backing as she adjusts to increased expectations that come with a Top 10 ranking. “She really has the chance to have an amazing career and win many Grand Slams, and I will be behind her if she ever needs me. She can take care of herself, she is already a great player, but I will always be here for her.”

Mboko was scheduled to compete at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships during this week, but after a great week in Doha, she opted to withdraw from the second WTA 1000 of the year. Mboko already holds a 13-4 record this season and more than one million dollars in prize money, in addition to positioning herself as No. 10 in the rankings and No. 3 in the WTA Race (considering only points earned in 2026). The teenager now awaits her return to the courts in Indian Wells at the beginning of March.

On the other hand, Felix will wait one week before returning to the courts, and he will do so precisely in Dubai – when the men’s main draw begins next week. He will be the first seed of a draw that includes Alexander Bublik, Jack Draper and Jakub Mensik.