Mboko loses in Quarter Finals of Indian Wells to World #1

Canada’s Victoria Mboko was eliminated from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Thursday after a 7–6 (0), 6–4 quarterfinal loss to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in California.

Sabalenka secured the only break of the match in the second set and successfully saved all five break points she faced.

The match marked the second meeting this season between Sabalenka and Mboko, the rising star from Burlington, who entered the WTA 1000 tournament as the No. 10 seed. The Belarusian had previously defeated Mboko in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year.

Mboko, who is of Congolese heritage, reached her second consecutive WTA 1000 quarterfinal after advancing to the final of a tournament last month in Doha, Qatar. She now holds a 16–5 record for the season.

This year marks Mboko’s debut appearance at Indian Wells, and the 19-year-old has made an immediate impact. She advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating American Amanda Anisimova, the sixth seed, 6–4, 6–1.

Born in the United States and raised in Toronto, Mboko has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2026 season. In addition to her quarterfinal run at Indian Wells, she reached the Round of 16 at the Australian Open—where she fell to Sabalenka—and finished runner-up in Doha to Karolína Muchová.