Saskatchewan tennis players say they're inspired by Victoria Mboko, ready to shine at Canada Games

CBC

2 days ago

Social Sharing
Victoria Mboko's win at the National Bank Open has helped galvanize a new generation of Saskatchewan tennis players, and they're eager to showcase their talents at this week's Canada Games.
On Aug. 8 the 18-year-old Mboko defeated the four-time Gland Slam champion and former No. 1 female tennis player, Naomi Osaka, in the final match of the National Bank Open. Mboko is now ranked the 24th best female tennis player in the world according to the Women's Tennis Association.
The win was celebrated across the country as a milestone for Canadian tennis, and set the stage for the tennis competitions at this week's Canada Games in St. Johns.
Saskatchewan has sent eight tennis players to the Canada Games, ranging from ages 12 to 17. Seven are from Regina, and the eighth is from Saskatoon.
Team Saskatchewan won their first match against Manitoba on Sunday afternoon, winning a combination singles and doubles match 5-1.
The team's coach, Denise Fernandez, said she was extremely proud of Mboko's win, and that she set a positive example for Saskatchewan's team.
"The fact that she's only 18, at least our juniors, they can relate because she's not that much older than they are," she said.
WATCH | Mboko defeats Osaka to win National Bank Open:
Canada's Victoria Mboko wins the National Bank Open
3 days ago
Mboko won the 2022 and 2023 Saskatoon Challenger tournament in Saskatoon, which Fernandez says allowed younger Saskatchewan players to see her up close.
"I've seen her play, I've known some of her coaches, so I know how much work goes into that. And she's a pretty determined kid," she said.
Seventeen-year-old Michael Liu and 14-year-old Anna Klemmer, both from Regina, are on Saskatchewan's eight-player team in St. John's. They both say they feel inspired by Mboko.
"It's a great feeling to see that more new players reach more important and more difficult milestones," said Liu, who has been playing tennis for more than eight years. "And I feel like it's really good for Canadian tennis to see."
"My goal [at the Canada Games] is to perform at my best and I have a great doubles partner. So hopefully we'll do our best and see what happens."
"It inspires me and tells me I can do that too," said Klemmer, who has been playing tennis since she was seven. "It's just another thing to add to my dreams and gives me another reason to chase him even more."
Fernandez, who is the player development coordinator for Tennis Saskatchewan, says she's seen interest in tennis grow over the course of her coaching career, and feels optimistic about the future of the sport in the province.
"When I first got here in 2010, we were just starting that program over again because it didn't have any kids," she said. "But as the years went, things started to go with recruiting and people being interested and tennis started to grow as our Canadian pros started to get better."
"When we see Leylah Fernandez, Eugenie Bouchard and Bianca [Fernandez], [Denis] Shapovalov, and Felix [Aliassime], you could start seeing the growth in tennis here in Saskatchewan."
The Canada Games will continue until Aug. 24, with the gold medal tennis match scheduled for Aug. 16.
Saskatchewan's next tennis match is against New Brunswick on Monday afternoon, and will face Nova Scotia on Aug. 12.