Adelaide International | Victoria Mboko upsets Madison Keys as Aussie ace Kimberly Birrell sets up semi-final

Thursday, 15 January 2026 at 09:59

Victoria Mboko won the 2025 Hong Kong Open

Over in Adelaide, it is a surprise semi-final to open proceedings up as Victoria Mboko will face off against Kimberly Birrell in the last four after heroic efforts to defeat Madison Keys and Jaqueline Cristian respectively.

Mboko ended Madison Keys title defence superbly with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 upset win, her third three-setter in as many matches played this week at the WTA 500 and continuation too from a great end to the last season which saw the Canadian win two titles overall. But she ended off with the Hong Kong Open.

This after the Canadian had not been exactly great for some time after winning in Montreal. But instead of letting the new pressure she has come down on her, she managed to steady the ship and get herself into form.

From a set and a break up, Mboko was in trouble. But Keys lost steam in the final set. She has won this title twice in 2022 and last year en route to the Australian Open so she has form for Adelaide brilliance but this time, she couldn't stop the rising Canadian.

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Mboko won five straight games after Keys held serve to open the final set on her way to victory. Keys hit 41 unforced errors in total and even in serving nine aces, she faced 12 break points and dropped serve six times which proved to be the nail in the coffin. She now moves on to the Australian Open hoping to recount her happy memories from before in Melbourne. While for Mboko who keeps going in her rise, it is perhaps the simpler chance for a final in this draw.

"I know she won this tournament last year, and of course, Australian Open, and I knew coming into this match that it would be a big fight," Mboko said afterwards.

"I think there was one moment in the second set where she hit three return winners off my serve, so that was pretty humbling. She is where she is for a reason, and I think to play these kind of players, you have to get used to receiving those kinds of balls. It was great tennis from her, and I'm glad I got it done."

Brilliant Birrell set for Mboko showdown as Andreeva likely to face Shnaider

The eighth seed now faces off against Kimberly Birrell in a bid to reach her third career final on the WTA Tour of the past year. She beat Birrell in the first round in her Canadian run and the pair will play again albeit the latter now has home court advantage and could feasibly have an all Aussie final if the last Quarter-Final goes the way of Maya Joint.

The 27-year-old from the Gold Coast advanced to her first WTA 500 semi-final with a three set epic against Jaqueline Cristian which lasted over three hours. Winning two WTA 250 titles in her career, she has had real peaks and troughs and after it seemed like perhaps she would take on the top Aussie mantle, Maya Joint has steamed ahead.

Joint as well as Daria Kasatkina who is now an Aussie after defecting from Russia have carried the candle but amid wins this week for Birrell and also Taylah Preston in Hobart who is into the semi-finals herself after downing Emma Raducanu. As well as the rising brilliance of Emerson Jones, the Aussie summer is providing home hope stories all over the place.

"I just kept telling myself to keep trying and fighting for every point," Birrell said afterwards. "When I came back out for the second set, I just told myself that I'll get those opportunities again if I kept fighting."

The other semi-final will see the winner of Mirra Andreeva face Maya Joint who is as of time of writing a set and a break up on the Aussie No.1 face Russian ace Diana Shnaider. So in theory two doubles partners and friends could collide.

Shnaider took down Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-3 to continue her revival. After being one of the most promising players on the WTA Tour, Shnaider had a poor 2025 backing it up and amid coaching changes and other issues now seems in a better place.

Navarro in that tie was technically a battle of two players who did their best business in 2024 with the American also not having a great 2025 backing up a breakout year. But it is Shnaider through and we could get still Andreeva v Mboko in the final. Some way to end the Aussie summer that would be.

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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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