Victoria Mboko will be hoping to extend her dream run at the Canadian Open on Wednesday evening.
The Canadian star, aged just 18, shocked her peers by dismantling world number two Coco Gauff in the round of 16.
The 18-year-old took just 62 minutes to win, defeating the American 6-4 6-1 in the fourth round.
Mboko, who is demonstrating excellent form ahead of the US Open, has set up a contest with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, after defeating Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the quarter-finals.
The Canadian’s coach, Nathalie Tauziat, spoke to reporters about what the young Canadian should expect from the Kazakhstani player when they face off in Montreal.
Nathalie Tauziat details what Victoria Mboko should expect from Elena Rybakina
Nathalie Tauziat, the coach of Victoria Mboko, spoke to reporters ahead of the Canadian’s clash against Rybakina.
Mboko and Rybakina faced off recently, at the Washington Open. Rybakina won the contest 6-3 7-5.
Tauziat is an authority on tennis and knows her way around the WTA Tour: she won 33 titles during her playing career.
Tauziat said: “I don’t know if she’s better this week than Washington, but she have maybe more confidence, Vicky, so it can help.
“But Rybakina play really good so far. I mean, I know she play very fast, very hard, so it’s going to be tough.
“But the thing she have more than Rybakina this week is the public, so it can change maybe something. We’ll see. We will see, but I’m sure the public will be behind Vicky.
“So compared to Washington, it’s going to be a big issue. She knows what she have to do. I mean, she have to return. It’s not so easy, but she have to return first, and after she have to be very fast.
“I mean, Rybakina, she’s not going to give one point, and she’s not going to change her game because she play Vicky.”
Who is Nathalie Tauziat?
Nathalie Tauziat is a French former professional tennis player, who won 25 WTA doubles titles and eight singles titles.
Tauziat reached number three in the world in both singles and doubles, in 2000 and 2001 respectively.
The French star, who played on the tour from 1984 to 2003, reached the Wimbledon Ladies Singles final in 1998, only to lose to Jana Novotna in the final.
Tauziat was also a finalist at the 2001 US Open while partnered with Kimberly Po.
As a coach, Tauziat has worked with various players, including Marion Bartoli, Eugenie Bouchard, and Bianca Andreescu.
Tauziat began her collaboration with Victoria Mboko at the start of 2025 and the partnership appears to have helped guide the 18-year-old towards superstardom on the WTA Tour.
