Victoria Mboko continues rapid rise by winning on grand slam debut
The 18-year-old from Canada, whose parents emigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo due to political conflict before she was born, came through qualifying without dropping a set.
Ranked 333 at the start of the year, Mboko took to the court at 11am on the opening Sunday at Roland Garros and showed no sign of nerves in a 6-1 7-6 (4) win over New Zealander Lulu Sun, the world number 45 who beat Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon last July.
A winning start for Victoria Mboko! 😎🎾
The Canadian wins her first-round match at Roland Garros in straight sets against Lulu Sun. This was also her first main draw win at a Grand Slam tournament. 💪
Next round, she'll face Eva Lys.
Go Vicky! 🇨🇦@nationalbank pic.twitter.com/2SCmo4FHnL
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) May 25, 2025
It was Mboko's 38th win of the season and she has lost just five matches, two of which were three-set battles with top-10 players Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff.
Now ranked 120, Mboko's rapid upward trajectory means she is well in with a chance of qualifying directly into the Wimbledon main draw later this summer.
'I didn't expect the whole thing, honestly,' she said. 'I mean, even to be here and playing even the quallies, I was so excited to be in a grand slam for the first ever time.
'I remember coming here as a junior, watching the older girls play. It was such a great experience. I'm happy I experienced it in the juniors so that it kind of prepared me for the professional level.
'The whole thing is honestly kind of a surprise. I mean, now I'm here, I feel like I can do something with it and make the most of it.
Mboko will meet German number one Eva Lys in the second round on Wednesday.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka is safely through after opening proceedings on Court Philippe-Chatrier, taking exactly one hour to dispatch Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1 6-0.
The 27-year-old from Belarus said: 'I'm super happy with the win today. Super happy with the level.
'It was amazing playing out there. I can't wait to play another match on this beautiful stadium.'
Last year's surprise runner-up Jasmine Paolini survived a mid-match wobble, the Italian fourth seed beating China's Yue Yuan 6-1 4-6 6-3.
Eighth seed Qinwen Zheng, runner-up at this year's Australian Open, beat former Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3.
Diana Shnaider, the 11th seed from Russia, sat on the court in tears after turning her ankle in a nasty fall, but recovered to beat Ukrainian qualifier Anastasiya Soboleva 7-6 (3) 6-2.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost 3-6 6-0 6-4 to Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic.
The highest-ranked man in action on day one, eighth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti, beat Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-2 6-0.
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