“I don't really see her that much as a rival”: Victoria Mboko on Mirra Andreeva friendship

Victoria Mboko continued her steady rise on the WTA Tour with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Australia’s Kimberly Birrell at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Canadian teenager produced a composed performance in challenging windy conditions to advance, navigating a tight second-set tiebreak after securing the opening set with a single break.

The result adds another milestone in what has been a rapid progression for the young Canadian, who has emerged as part of a new generation of players gaining attention on the international circuit. Still early in her professional career, Mboko has spent just over a year competing regularly on tour and continues to treat each event as a learning opportunity.

Facing Birrell for the third time in her career, Mboko entered the match aware of the Australian’s consistency from the baseline. The Canadian was forced to raise her level at key moments, particularly as Birrell increased the pressure late in the second set before Mboko ultimately closed out the contest.

The 10th seed played her last tournament at the Qatar Open — which was her second final of the season — although she ultimately fell to Karolina Muchova. After withdrawing from Dubai the following week, Mboko had a few weeks of quiet work to arrive in the best possible condition for the Sunshine Double.

Mboko explained that despite the growing attention surrounding her results, she still views her career as being in its early stages. With most tournaments representing first-time appearances, she believes expectations remain secondary to gaining experience against established players.

She said she does not approach tournaments feeling the need to justify her ranking or prove a particular status, instead focusing on adapting to the rhythm of professional competition. “Yeah, I don't really see it much that way. Everything is still relatively new to me, because I have basically only spent, like, a year on tour,” the world No. 10 said during her press conference. “It doesn't really feel like I have to prove something, because every tournament so far I have played was just for the first time.”

“I mean, I'm just enjoying playing on the tour, just getting the experience playing higher-ranked players. I think it's a process.”

The Canadian also emphasised that the competitive depth of the WTA Tour leaves little room for expectations. With each event presenting a different set of challenges, Mboko prefers to evaluate results week by week rather than focusing on long-term projections.

“No, not really, because there is many instances — everyone is good. Everyone wants to, of course, beat you. They want to play well against you,” the 2025 Canadian Open champion added. “I feel like anything can happen. It's not like I expect to win every single tournament every single week, and that's almost quite impossible.”

She acknowledged that the level across the tour means any match can quickly become difficult, reinforcing her approach of focusing on incremental progress rather than consistent deep runs. “I just take it week by week. If it's not my week, then you just move on. You just try to find the positives in it.”

Mboko also reflected on the importance of relationships with players of a similar age navigating the early stages of their careers. Among them is Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, with whom Mboko has already shared several competitive matches, including during the Middle East swing earlier this season.

Despite their encounters on court, Mboko described the relationship less as a rivalry and more as a shared experience between young players developing simultaneously on the professional stage. “Yeah, I feel like I don't really see her that much as a rival. She's just a friend that is playing the same level as me, and I feel like we both root for each other and are always supporting each other.”

The teenagers surprised many by teaming up in doubles this week, where they will debut against the fourth seeds in the women’s doubles draw (Zhang and Mertens — current world No. 1). “It's nice to have, I guess, players around your age that you grew up playing with at this level,” Mboko said regarding her doubles partnership with Andreeva. “You have known them for such a long time, and you can kind of relate to them, in a sense. I hope in the future we can both keep competing against each other and push each other to do better.”

About the partnership, Mboko said it came together spontaneously when Andreeva asked her shortly before the event. “I wasn't actually planning on playing doubles here, but she asked me pretty last minute. I was like, sure, why not? Get some extra matches in.”

The Canadian teenager also highlighted the support she felt from compatriots in the crowd. With many Canadian fans travelling to the tournament or residing in the region, Mboko said the atmosphere during her match created a sense of familiarity despite competing far from home. “Honestly, after today, it made me feel like I was playing a bit at home. It was really nice to receive that kind of support.”