ASB Classic Semifinals: Victoria Mboko storms into third career final with dominant win over Birrell

Victoria Mboko secured the victory against Australian Kimberly Birrell and booked her place in the final of the Adelaide International after a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win in just one hour and one minute of play. The 19-year-old lived up to her favourite status and will go for the third title of her career this Saturday against the winner of the match between Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider.

Mboko (World No. 17) had few problems dealing with the surprise of the tournament: local wildcard Birrell, ranked No. 107, who had earlier defeated players such as Anastasia Potapova and Alizé Cornet, in addition to benefiting from the withdrawal of Marketa Vondrousova before their scheduled second-round clash. Despite the loss, Birrell will climb more than 30 places in the rankings, rising to No. 76, and will position herself as the new Australian No. 3, behind only Maya Joint and Daria Kasatkina.

Mboko continues her strong start to the season, having recorded five wins in six matches so far in 2026, while also carrying over excellent form from late 2025, where she won 12 of her last 14 WTA matches.

By reaching the final, Mboko has already secured a one-place rise in the rankings to World No. 16, while she awaits her opponent for Saturday’s final, which will come from the all-Russian clash between Andreeva and Shnaider. This will be the third final of Mboko’s career, after lifting the title in her previous two finals at the Canadian Open and the Hong Kong Open, both in the second half of 2025.

The favouritism was clearly on Mboko’s side despite her youth and relative lack of experience compared to her opponent. Birrell, however, found inspiration on home soil in Australia, along with a measure of good fortune following late changes in the draw due to withdrawals, including the injury to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round.

Birrell started the match well, holding her first two service games, although she had to save a break point early on. Leading 2-1, the contest initially looked evenly matched, but little by little Mboko began to overpower her rival with superior pace and depth from the baseline, making extended rallies particularly difficult for the local player.

Mboko maintained an outstanding level on serve, giving Birrell virtually no chances to engage in long exchanges, while being sharp on return to win five games in a row, including two consecutive breaks. The 19-year-old conceded just four points on serve, did not face a single break point, and converted two of her three break opportunities to comfortably take the opening set 6-2.

Things did not improve for Birrell in the second set, where her serving effectiveness dropped significantly. Mboko won 16 of the first 20 points played and raced through four games in a row, adding two more breaks to her advantage. With Mboko leading 4-0 in the second set, the outcome was practically sealed in favour of the Canadian.

Birrell managed to hold serve once, salvaging a single game for pride, but was unable to put Mboko under any real pressure. The Canadian remained composed in the closing stages and secured a fifth and final break to complete the victory, 6-2, 6-1. After a competitive start from Birrell, Mboko turned the match into a one-woman show, stringing together nine consecutive games across the first and second sets.

Mboko was impressive throughout, winning 75% of her service points and 57% of return points. She will now look to claim the Adelaide title this Saturday against the winner of the all-Russian showdown between Andreeva and Shnaider, scheduled for the Australian afternoon session.

If Mboko goes on to win the final, she would continue her rise in the rankings to World No. 14, marking her first-ever entry into the top 15 of the WTA rankings—just days before making her debut in the main draw of the Australian Open.