Teenage Canadian player Victoria Mboko upset world No. 3 Elena Rybakina in a three-set thriller at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, advancing to the semifinals. The 19-year-old came from behind in the decisive set to end Rybakina's nine-match winning streak. Mboko, seeded No. 10, now faces Jelena Ostapenko next.
In the quarterfinals of the 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open on February 12, Victoria Mboko defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in a match lasting two hours and 23 minutes. The victory marked Mboko's second top-10 win of the season and propelled her into her second WTA 1000 semifinal. Rybakina, the Australian Open champion and No. 2 seed, had won her previous nine matches, including victories over Wang Xinyu and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen earlier in the week.
Mboko, playing in only her sixth WTA 1000 event, became the first teenager to reach the Doha semifinals since Jelena Ostapenko in 2016. She had previously beaten Mirra Andreeva in the round of 16. The head-to-head between Mboko and Rybakina now stands at 2-2. Mboko trailed 4-2 in the third set before rallying to secure the win.
After the match, Mboko expressed surprise at her run. "This week has been insane. I never expected such a result for myself. I’ve just been taking it day by day," she said. She praised her opponent: "It was a great match with Elena. She has a pretty good record right now. To play this match is really an honor to share the court with her."
Mboko described the challenge: "Going into the match, I knew I would have to put up a really big fight. She’d just won the Australian Open, and I’ve previously played her three times, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all."
Rybakina, who was aiming for a career-high No. 2 ranking, remained positive despite the loss. She noted the physical demands after a three-set match against Zheng the day before. "I’m actually happy that I managed to give this fight. I hadn’t played such long matches in a long time," Rybakina said. She viewed the tournament as good preparation and affirmed her goals: "All of them! There is nothing to choose. It doesn’t matter which Grand Slam. But that’s the goal."
Mboko, the highest remaining seed, will face Ostapenko in the semifinals, their first tour meeting. Ostapenko won the title in 2016.
