Victoria Mboko storms past Amanda Anisimova to reach Indian Wells quarterfinals

Victoria Mboko is into the quarterfinals of Indian Wells—and on her tournament debut, no less—after storming past Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event, 6-4, 6-1.

She’s the first Canadian woman to reach the last eight in tennis paradise since Bianca Andreescu won the title in 2019.

“I’m experiencing a lot of things for the first time,” Mboko said afterwards in her on-court interview. “To be out here playing Top 10 players, playing top of the world, it’s really a privilege. I’m so happy to be competing at the highest level.

"Just keep going.”

The 19-year-old, who's currently ranked No. 10, has now won her last three matches in a row against Top 10 players, as well as 15 of her last 18 matches at WTA 1000 events, a stretch that started with her run to the title on home soil in Montreal last summer.

There was little between Anisimova and Mboko early on on Tuesday night, as the two traded holds for the first six games en route to 3-all. But an Mboko backhand that clipped the line—and drew a mis-hit from Anisimova—gave the Canadian the first break of the match for a 4-3 lead in the opening set.

That break opened the floodgates, as Mboko would eventually win 10 of the last 12 games of the match to run away with it.

And the final match stats told the story, as Mboko finished with twice as many winners as unforced errors, 14 to 7, while Anisimova was in the negatives with 14 winners to 16 miscues.

Mboko also converted all four of her break point opportunities in the match, and fought off the only one she faced, while she was serving up a break at 2-1 in the second set—she actually saved it with an ace, then, incredibly, hit another two aces in a row to hold.

“I knew Amanda’s a really good player, so I feel like I tried to match her pace a little bit and just stay with her as much as I possibly could,” Mboko said. “I’m glad to have gotten it done."

Mboko’s winning streak against Top 10 players includes two wins en route to the final in Doha a few weeks ago, against Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina, and now Anisimova in Indian Wells.

Awaiting the world No. 10 in the quarterfinals this week will be the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, who advanced to the final eight earlier in the day with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Naomi Osaka.

Sabalenka won the pair’s only previous meeting in the fourth round of this year’s Australian Open, but it was getting exciting—Sabalenka originally led by a set and a double break at 6-1, 4-1 but ended up having to close it out in a second set tie-break, 6-1, 7-6 (1), after an inspired fightback from the Canadian.