TENNIS: Mboko reaches Miami quarters, earns Roddick's Grand Slam backing

Victoria Mboko’s rapid rise has the Canadian teenager firmly on the path to Grand Slam glory, according to former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick. Mboko defeated fellow teen Mirra Andreeva 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0 on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 Miami Open.

Mboko earned her first WTA Tour-level win in Miami last year and has built momentum with a series of strong performances in 2026, including a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open in January.

"Mboko is going to win a slam in the next two years," Roddick said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast. "She’s making the quarters or better in every single event. She gets through tough three-set matches all the time."

Despite losses to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open and in the Indian Wells quarter-finals, Roddick said her potential remains undiminished.

"She plays well every single week. Losing to Sabalenka doesn’t bother me at all. She’s physically strong and can withstand the stress test of big tennis," he added. "I’m just more and more impressed with her."

Seeded 10th in Miami, Mboko delivered another confident performance against her doubles partner and rising rival Andreeva on the sun-drenched hard courts. After dropping the second set, she surged in the decider, breaking the hard-serving Russian three times and sealing the win with a blistering inside-out forehand on match point for her fifth top-10 victory of the season.

Mboko will next face Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals after the in-form Czech defeated Alexandra Eala 6-0, 6-2 earlier on Monday. -Reporting by Rory Carroll in Long Beach, CaliforniaEditing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters