3 min read
Less than a year ago, Victoria Mboko was a promising young player with a few rounds at the majors under her belt and a couple of wins over top-50 players. Now, she’s a phenom partnering with Serena Williams at the warm-up tournament to Wimbledon, and one of two teenagers currently in the top ten in the world. (Reigning French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, is just three months younger Mboko—they’re ranked sixth and ninth, respectively.) So what has changed for the extraordinary 19-year-old? Below, read more about the young Canadian, and why this promises to be her most exciting season yet.
Where is Victoria Mboko from?
Though she is Canadian and plays for Canada, Mboko was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. When she was two months old, she moved with her parents and three older siblings all moved to Toronto, Ontario. She lives in Burlington, Ontario, where she received a key to the city in 2025.
Mark Blinch//Getty Images
Victoria Mboko throwing an opening pitch a Toronto Blue Jays game.
Who are her parents?
Mboko’s father and mother, Cyprien Mboko and Godee Kitadi, moved to Montreal from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1999, before ultimately settling in North Carolina. They lived the U.S. and raised their family there until 2006, when they moved back to Canada, to Ontario. They had four children, with Victoria, nicknamed “Vicky,” being youngest; two of her older siblings played tennis at the college level. Cyprian is a mechanical engineer, who worked night shifts to help his daughter pay for her early lessons, while Godee has an accounting degree.
Marcio Rodrigo Machado//Getty Images
Victoria with her father, Cyprien Mboko at a tournament in Hong Kong.
What are Mboko’s best results so far?
The undeniable announcement of her talent and competitive future was last year’s win in the Canadian Open final in Montreal (the Canadian major will be held in Toronto this year). At the annual U.S. Open warmup tournament, she beat Naomi Osaka in three sets to win her first WTA 1000 title (the level right below the Slams). On her way to the final, she’d beaten world no. 2 Elena Rybakina and top seed, Coco Gauff. Her ranking subsequently shot up from 85th in the world to 24th. Since then, she’s raised her profile further with runs to the fourth round of the Australian open, and to the quarterfinals in Miami and at Indian Wells and finals in Qatar. Subsequently, her ranking rose to nine in the world, making her the second teenager in the top ten. She is currently the top-ranked Canadian women’s player.
Minas Panagiotakis//Getty Images
Mboko winning the Canadian Open.
How much money has Mboko made on the tennis tour?
As of June 2026, Mboko has made more than $3,000,000 on tour. For her first place win in Canada alone, she was awarded more than a million. For her most recent run to the third round at the French Open, she made about $217,000.
Robert Prange//Getty Images
Mboko at the 2026 Australian Open, where she got to the fourth round, her best Grand Slam result to date.
How did Mboko end up playing with Serena Williams?
Coming into the summer grass court swing—a series of European events that culminates in Wimbledon—many fans are excited to Mboko’s form, particularly given that her new coach is Wim Fissette, the Belgian former player who coached Iga Światek to a Wimbledon singles title last year. But how, exactly, did she meet the GOAT and 23-time major champion? Apparently, Serena made the first move. The champion, who last week announced that she would come out of retirement nearly four years after playing her last tournament, sent the younger player a text. In an interview with CBC, Mboko noted that it came up on her phone as ‘Maybe: Serena.’ The two had never met.
Adam Davy – PA Images//Getty Images
Mboko training on grass with Serena Williams at the Queen’s Club in London.
Mboko also noted that she was shocked Serena even knew who she was, and said on Instagram that it was, “An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week.”
The two play their opening round match at Queen’s Club in London today at 12:30 PM Eastern against the Australian-American team of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar Martinez, the number 3 seeds. If they win, it will not only signal a triumphant return for Serena, it will also put more eyes on Mboko than she’s ever experienced in her career.
Dorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor.