Victoria Mboko made a strong Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros on Tuesday, defeating Austria’s Sinja Kraus 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round of qualifying. The 18-year-old Canadian powered past the world No. 159 after a slow start, adjusting quickly to the conditions in Paris following her run to the final at the WTA 125 tournament in Parma, Italy.
“I’ll give myself a B+,” Mboko said with a smile when asked to assess her performance. “It took me some time to adjust – it’s my first Grand Slam and I was nervous. But I found my game and composure.”
Known for her powerful groundstrokes, Mboko overwhelmed Kraus with her aggressive play. The Toronto native has had a breakout year in 2025, winning five ITF tournaments early in the season with a 27-1 record. She also impressed at high-level WTA events, including a tight three-set loss to world No. 10 Paula Badosa in Miami and a second-round showing in Rome, where she fell to No. 3 Coco Gauff.
Despite previously doubting her clay-court abilities, Mboko now sees promise. “I used to tell myself I wasn’t a clay-court player,” she said. “But this season gave me confidence.”
Mboko is coached by former world No. 3 and 1998 Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, a mentor she speaks fondly of. “We have a lot of fun, and she’s taught me so much. She’s always one step ahead of me on the court,” Mboko said.
Mboko, now ranked No. 121 after her recent run in Parma, faces Kathinka von Deichmann of Liechtenstein in Thursday’s second round. Von Deichmann upset Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-1, 6-0 in just 66 minutes, using a tricky game full of slices to frustrate her opponent.
“It’s definitely not how I wanted the day to go,” Marino said, crediting her opponent’s smart tactics. Ranked No. 108, Marino narrowly missed direct entry into the main draw, edged out by players using protected rankings.
She now turns her attention to the grass-court season with plans to play in WTA 125 events in Birmingham and Ilkley ahead of Wimbledon qualifying.
Elsewhere, 20-year-old Kayla Cross of London, Ontario, also made her Grand Slam debut, falling 6-4, 6-2 to Patricia-Maria Tig of Romania. Cross competed well early but faded in the second set, likely due in part to her quick turnaround after competing at the NCAA Championships in Texas just days earlier. She currently holds a career-high singles ranking of No. 217 and is No. 159 in doubles.
The Canadian day began on a difficult note when Liam Draxl lost 6-2, 6-2 to Austria’s Filip Misolic in his first Grand Slam qualifying appearance. Draxl was nursing a shoulder issue and felt unwell Tuesday morning.
“Liam’s strength is his grit,” said Tennis Canada’s High Performance VP Guillaume Marx. “But today, he wasn’t able to be himself.”
Despite the early exit, Draxl, 23, has climbed the rankings significantly this year, moving from No. 302 to No. 148.
While Tuesday brought mixed fortunes for Canadian players, Mboko’s victory offered a glimpse of a bright future, especially as she continues her clay-court evolution on tennis’ biggest stages.
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