Victoria Mboko came out on top in a battle of teen sensations, as the 10th seed saved a match point to clinch a rollercoaster, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory over Mirra Andreeva, reaching the Doha quarter-finals.
The 19-year-old Canadian triumphed in difficult, blustery conditions, overcoming Andreeva's tenacious defence and court coverage for the third top-10 win of her career. Andreeva served for the match in the final set, but was unable to get over the line, and exited the court in a flood of tears after two hours.
It was the second meeting between Andreeva and Mboko this season, a match the former won 6-3, 6-1 against a hampered opponent in the Adelaide final in January.
"It took everything, and at the end, we were both pretty tired. I'm glad to pull through today and get the win," Mboko said.
"It is my first time here, so far I am liking it a lot. I'm really excited to play here tomorrow."
https://youtu.be/apkbHDdIm14?si=_U8an5fDGNR4EWyJ
Facing off at the first WTA 1000 event of the year, Mboko started sharply, asserting her authority from the off to rush to a 3-1 lead. However, Andreeva, 18, retrieved the break to restore parity at 3-3, before Mboko soared ahead to take the first set.
The second set saw both players struggling to hold serve, trading breaks in the wind before Andreeva crucially held at 5-3 to take it to a decider.
The pair were a lot more solid on serve in the third, but Andreeva pounced at the right time to lead 5-4. However, she was broken back after squandering a match point, as her mood began to sour.
Mboko took the initiative in the tiebreak, producing some stellar tennis. In the end, on the third time of asking, she completed the win with a gorgeous backhand winner.
It is Mboko's second appearance in a WTA 1000 quarter-final, after she announced herself to the world in Montreal back in August, beating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to win the Canadian Open.
She will next face Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who survived a fearsome barrage from Qinwen Zheng. The Chinese star was in sensational ball-striking form despite suffering a high-quality 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 defeat, and can take plenty of positives from her impressive display.
