Mboko Moves to Third Round at Australian Open
Victoria Mboko from Toronto secured her progress to the third round of women’s singles at the Australian Open in Melbourne, triumphing over American Caty McNally with a score of 6-4, 6-3.
The 17th-seeded Canadian will next face 14th-seeded Clara Tauson from Denmark, who narrowly defeated Polina Kudermetova from Uzbekistan after a competitive match finishing 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in just under two hours.
Match Statistics
Mboko took one hour and 32 minutes to defeat McNally, hitting one ace alongside 15 winners while committing 24 unforced errors and two double faults. In contrast, McNally did not record any aces, but made 14 winners, 27 unforced errors, and six double faults.
Mboko achieved success in six out of nine service games and won five of nine return games, while her previous opponent, wild card Emerson Jones of Australia, was dispatched with a score of 6-4, 6-1 in the opening round.
Doubles Action
In women’s doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and her Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani defeated Americans Jessica Pegula and McCartney Kessler with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (3). They will face Elsa Jacquemot from France and Emiliana Arango from Colombia in the second round.
The match lasted one hour and 46 minutes, during which the winners recorded one ace and three double faults, while their opponents had none. The successful duo excelled in their return game, winning 36 points compared to the Americans’ 28.
High Attendance and Key Matches
The day also saw top players Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz, as well as third seeds Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev, advance to the third round. A record crowd of 103,720 fans attended the event, marking a significant milestone in the tournament.
On Day 4, Sabalenka commenced her match with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Bai Zhouxuan, while Gauff won against Olga Danilovic with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Alcaraz overcame Yannick Hanfmann in a challenging match, demonstrating his readiness to pursue the title at Melbourne Park.
Future Expectations
As the tournament progresses, Sabalenka aims for her third title in Melbourne and will face Anastasia Potapova in her next match. Several other seeded players also made it through, including Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.
Looking ahead to Day 5, Novak Djokovic is set for his second-round match against Francesco Maestrelli, while two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner will play against Australia’s James Duckworth in the prime time evening slot.
