WTA: The newcomer who qualified to the French Open main draw and Coco Gauff recently praised

Among the players that secured a place in the main draw of the 2025 French Open through qualifyings, one of the names to watch is Victoria Mboko. The 18-year-old Canadian didn’t drop a set across three matches in Paris, securing her ticket with a straight-sets win over Kaja Juvan in the final round.

Her qualifying run capped a strong stretch and she joins Leylah Fernandez, who was finalist of the 2021 US Open, as the only Canadian women in the singles draw.

This spring has marked a turning point for Mboko, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 156 in March. After winning five ITF titles this year, she has also started to make progress in the WTA Tour.

In Miami, she earned her first WTA main-draw win over Camila Osorio as a wild card, and nearly upset Paula Badosa in round two, holding match points in a tight third set. Meanwhile, at the Italian Open, she took Coco Gauff to three sets in the second round.

Victoria Mboku will play in the 2025 French Open main draw (Getty Images)

After the match, Gauff has great praise for her. “As far as the other parts of her game, she’s obviously a big hitter, can play well, moves pretty well, has a nice backhand, same on the forehand,” the American said. “I don’t want to say she plays like me ’cause she obviously doesn’t. We’re like closer in age. I would say on the movement side, athletically, she’s one of the best athletes on tour.”

Mboko’s 2025 season so far

Mboko has been one of the most active players on tour this year, with a 37–7 record across ITF and WTA events. Her consistency has helped her climb into the Top 200 and gain entry into higher-tier tournaments.

She’s shown she can compete at tour-level, not just in qualifying. With a win in Miami and competitive showings in Rome, Mboko could be one of the players to make an impact in the main draw. She will debut against Lulu Sun on Sunday.