Victoria Mboko has withdrawn from Canada's Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers tie in Kazakhstan because of recurring dental pain requiring the removal of her four wisdom teeth. Tennis Canada confirmed the news, with Mboko expressing disappointment in a statement. The team now lacks its top three players ahead of the April 10-11 matchup against Kazakhstan.
Tennis Canada announced Mboko's withdrawal on Sunday. In her statement, Mboko said, “I am very sorry to have to withdraw from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup tie in Kazakhstan.” She explained, “In recent days, I have experienced recurring dental pain and will need to remove my four wisdom teeth in the coming days. Given that, I am sadly unable to travel to Kazakhstan and will therefore miss this tie.” Mboko added, “There is no greater privilege than playing for and representing Canada – I wish the team the best of luck next week, and I am very much looking forward to joining the team again later this year.” She had led Canada to a 2-0 win over Mexico in last November's play-offs and won her first WTA title in Montreal last August by defeating Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Marina Stakusic also withdrew due to a back injury, with Ariana Arseneault added to the roster alongside Bianca Andreescu, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Kayla Cross. Leylah Fernandez was already unavailable, leaving Andreescu, ranked No. 146, as the highest-ranked player. Andreescu has shown inconsistent form recently, losing three-set matches to Dalma Galfi, Kamilla Rakhimova, and Lanlana Tararudee in Austin. The qualifiers at Beeline Arena in Kazakhstan will be a best-of-five tie starting Friday at 2 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) and ending Saturday at 1 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET). The winner advances to the 2026 Finals in September; the loser goes to November play-offs. Other notable absences include Emma Raducanu, who chose her clay-court season, and Iga Swiatek due to form issues.
