Victoria Mboko defeated Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, overturning a 4-1 deficit in the third set. The young Canadian player's first thought was to praise her opponent for “playing a great game” in an on-court interview.
Hongkong: Fraction | lottery | order of play
The No. 3 seed's sportsmanship is consistent with her friendship with Ella, whom she has known “even longer than the beginning of their junior careers.”
“She was a really sweet girl and we have a lot of great memories off the field,” Mboko said. “Let’s go drink bubble tea together and do the most healthy things together.”
While Mboko admitted that facing off against one of her closest friends on tour made the match “a bit emotional”, the two rising stars brought all their competitive fervor to the court in a two-hour, 27-minute showdown that could herald the beginning of one of the sport's key rivalries.
The 19-year-old Mboko and the 20-year-old Ella have performed well in the WTA 1000 event and both ranked in the top 100 this year. In March, Ella defeated three Grand Slam champions – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek – to reach the semifinals. In August, Mboko defeated four major champions – Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka – to capture the title on her home turf in Montreal. The match was their first professional meeting, although they had met once before as teenagers, with Ella winning 6-1, 7-6(5) in the 2022 US Open women's semifinals.
In the first two sets, neither player was at their best at the same time. Ella quickly took a 3-0 lead, but Mboko tied the score, but when Mboko tied the set at 4-4, she missed a backhand shot after some excellent defense from Ella. The Filipino player quickly took advantage and won the first set.
In the second set, Mboko's first-server hit rate increased from 58% to 87%. This is the key data that determines the victory with a single break. Ella's volley missed and Mboko led 4-2. But at the beginning of the third set, Mboko's serving performance declined again. She suffered three double faults in the second game, including her fourth break point. Ella hit the net with a series of gorgeous forehands to take a 4-1 lead.
With his back against the wall, Mboko found his best level of the day when he needed to. She has won the last five matches in a row with a series of backhand winners, and her groundstrokes were nearly flawless in the final stages of the match. At 4-4, she relied on her excellent defensive shot to seize the key break opportunity at 5-4. After winning the serve, Mboko's serve became a weapon again, and the eighth ace of the day brought match point.
“It feels unbelievable to be back in a match like this,” Mboko said after the match. “Alex played such incredible tennis and, of course, the atmosphere in the crowd was very emotional. It was very intense, so I think it really pushed me to fight more and more.”
Mboko took the stage in Tokyo last week and has now reached back-to-back Asian quarter-finals. She will next face sixth seed Anna Kalinskaya, who will be seeking to reach the semifinals for the first time since Montreal.