TENNIS: Teen sensation Mboko closes in on top 10 after beating Rybakina in Qatar

Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko moved one step closer to breaking into the WTA top 10 after pulling off a stunning upset over Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the Qatar Open quarter-finals on Thursday.

The 19-year-old battled to a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory in Doha, ending Rybakina’s nine-match winning streak.

"Going into the match, I knew it was going to be a really hard battle, and I wanted to stay calm," Mboko said. The win marked her second triumph over Rybakina in four meetings.

"I didn’t really have that many expectations because she has a great record now, having just won the Australian Open. Going into the match, I knew I had to play my 'A' game," she added.

Mboko, who began the 2025 season ranked outside the top 300, is now ranked 13th. She became the youngest player since Serena Williams to defeat four major winners in a single tournament when she claimed the Canadian Open in Montreal last year.

In the Doha semi-finals on Friday, Mboko will face former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. A win will secure her debut in the top 10 rankings on Monday.

"I’m expecting another hard battle," Mboko said. "She knows these courts well and knows the environment. It’ll be important to put up a fight."

In the other semi-final, Karolina Muchova will take on Maria Sakkari.

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters