Victoria Mboko pulls out of Dubai championships

Victoria Mboko has withdrawn from the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to a right-elbow injury, becoming the seventh player to pull out of the tournament—just hours after cracking the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career.

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Mboko's withdrawal comes on the same day she achieved a career milestone, entering the PIF WTA Rankings top 10. 

The 19-year-old's decision follows an impressive run to the final at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, where she fell to Karolina Muchova.

The demanding schedule of back-to-back tournaments took its toll.

"It's a lot of matches, and the tournaments are really close to each other, so it's hard to try to manage that," Mboko said after her semifinal win in Qatar. 

"From a recovery standpoint, doing good physio, having good fitness and good routines help you last longer."

An epidemic of withdrawals

Mboko joins a growing list of absentees including Maria Sakkari (illness), Zheng Qinwen (illness), Aryna Sabalenka (hip), and Iga Swiatek (schedule). 

Even Doha champion Muchova withdrew citing schedule fatigue.

Replacement and rescheduling

Stepping in for Mboko is lucky loser Petra Marcinko, who faces Jaqueline Cristian in Monday's first round. 

Six other alternates have been activated, though Hailey Baptiste retired in her opening match.