Melbourne, Jan 21 (.) Victoria Mboko continued her impressive run at the 2026 Australian Open, advancing to the women’s singles third round with a straight-sets win on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old Canadian overcame America’s Caty McNally 6-4, 6-3 at the 1573 Arena to register her second consecutive victory in her Melbourne Park main-draw debut.
There was little to separate the two teenagers early on, with the opening eight games of the first set shared evenly. Mboko, however, found the decisive edge late, capitalising on a spate of unforced errors from McNally and breaking serve in a gruelling 24-shot rally to take the set 6-4.
McNally responded strongly in the second set, dictating rallies and exploiting Mboko’s early struggles on serve to race to a 3-0 lead. The momentum shifted quickly, though, as Mboko needed just one break of serve to turn the tide, levelling the set at 3-3.
Showing composure and mental resilience, the Canadian soaked up pressure in the closing stages and held serve confidently to seal the match in straight sets.
Mboko will next face either Polina Kudermetova or Clara Tauson for a place in the fourth round.
. VAN .