Coco Gauff has teamed up with rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko for doubles at the 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha. The unexpected partnership formed after both players' original partners failed to enter the draw. They face a tough first-round matchup against seventh seeds Cristina Bucșa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
The 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open, the first WTA 1000 event of the year, begins in Doha with an intriguing doubles pairing. American Coco Gauff, 21, a former doubles world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion, has joined forces with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, the 2025 WTA Newcomer of the Year. Mboko burst onto the scene last summer by winning the Canadian Open, a WTA 1000 title, where she notably upset Gauff in the fourth round among other high-profile victories, including Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka.
The partnership came about unexpectedly. Both players had entered the draw with different partners, but those arrangements fell through just before the deadline. As Mboko explained to Tennis Channel on Saturday, “We were actually both entered with two other players. But unfortunately, neither of us was able to make it into the draw with our original partners. So, we were like, ‘Wanna play?’ and so, it just came about. But it’s pretty cool!”
For Gauff, this marks a return to doubles after a reduced schedule. Her last appearance was at the 2025 Canadian Open, where she won the title with McCartney Kessler. Mboko, meanwhile, is not a frequent doubles player but reached the second round at the 2026 Australian Open alongside Iva Jovic, losing to eventual champions Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang.
Unseeded in the draw, Gauff and Mboko open against the seventh-seeded duo of Spain's Cristina Bucșa and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez. A win would pit them against the winners of Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva or the Kichenok sisters. Their quarter also includes top seeds Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani and Jelena Ostapenko/Hsieh Su-wei, promising a challenging path.
Singles remains the priority for both, with Gauff seeded fourth and entering in the round of 32 after a bye. She has a mixed history in Doha, with early singles exits in recent years but successful doubles runs, including titles in 2022 and 2023 alongside Jessica Pegula. Mboko, making her Doha singles debut, advanced to the second round with a 7-5, 6-2 win over 10th seed Marie Bouzková on day one, setting up a matchup with Vera Zvonareva.
