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Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic are leading a teenage takeover Australia Open.
Mboko’s rapid rise in the rankings will continue after she defeated 14th seed Clara Towson 7-6 (5) 5-7 6-3 to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Mboko served for three match points in the second set before Towson fought back, but she put the disappointment behind her by showing experience well beyond her years.
Jovic, an American who turned 18 last month, then stole the spotlight from the Canadians by defeating the seventh seed. Jasmine Paolini 6-2 7-6 (3).
They are two of five teenagers to reach the third round of the women’s singles, with Czech newcomers Theresa Valentova and Nikolai Bartonkova also impressing, while Mira Andreeva now has a wealth of experience but is still only 18 years old.
“A lot of us juniors who were on tour are actually still playing in tournaments now,” said 19-year-old Mboko. “I think that’s really good to see.
“I’ve known a lot of them for a long time and played against them in the juniors. I always want them to do well and vice versa.”
The round of 16 staged a wonderful showdown between Mboko and the world’s No. 1 Alina Sabalenkawho wavers Anastasia Potapova But ultimately won 7-6 (4) 7-6 (7).
By contrast, Sabalenka, 27, is already a veteran, saying: “I think it was really hard for me to be successful at a young age.
“Now, it’s incredible to see these girls achieve so much at such a young age and play such good tennis and mature so much. I feel like they mature a lot faster than I did.”
“To be honest, I don’t feel like I’ve matured that much,” Mboko said with a laugh. “I think starting (touring) so early makes you more mature in a way. You just learn more things faster.”
Mboko wasn’t even ranked high enough to qualify for the qualifiers Melbourne She rose to prominence last summer, defeating Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka in her hometown of Montreal, culminating in a stunning WTA 1000 title that saw her advance as the 17th seed.
This will be her first challenge at Sabalenka, she said: “I think it’s super cool. I’ve never played against the current world No. 1. It will be a very different experience.
“I think we’re going to play on Rod Laver. I’ve never played on the Center Court at a Grand Slam either. There’s a lot of firsts. I’m really excited. It’s something a lot of people haven’t experienced. I think it’s going to be really cool to do it on Sunday. Just to show what I’ve got.”
Sabalenka will need to improve on an error-strewn performance against Emma Raducanu’s conqueror Potapova, who held off four set points in the second-set tiebreaker.
The winner emotionally admitted she was “out of form” but once again showed her mettle when needed to extend her Open record to 19 consecutive Grand Slam tiebreaks, dating back to her 2023 French Open semi-final loss to Karolina Muchova.
Looking forward to a tough fight against Mboko, she said: “I don’t believe they (the teenagers) have the mentality of having nothing to lose because I’ve been in their situation. You still go there with high hopes that you can win this match and that you will be the young guy who wins the Grand Slam.”
Third-seeded Gauff survived the first test of the match, fighting back from a set down to defeat fellow American Haley Baptiste 3-6 6-0 6-3.