Mboko Will Look for Saskatoon Repeat on Sunday

Saskatoon really does feel like home for Victoria Mboko. The 16-year-old Canadian will look to repeat as champion of the ITF World Tennis Tour tournament on Sunday after winning her semifinal match in dominant fashion.

On Saturday, she defeated American Grace Min 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour to book her spot in the championship match opposite another American, third-seeded Emina Bektas who defeated Serbia’s Katerina Kozarov 6-3, 6-2 in the second semifinal. Both finalists have yet to lose a set this week, so the title contest is set to be a compelling one.

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This will be Mboko’s first final since lifting the trophy in Saskatoon last July, her first professional title, when it was a $25,000 event and she defeated American Madison Seig 6-2, 6-0 in the final. It has been upgraded to a $60,000 tournament for 2023 which makes her run this year all the more impressive.  Bektas, who currently sits at no. 140 on the WTA rankings, will be looking to capture her third ITF singles crown of the season after triumphs in Kurume and Pretoria.

In the doubles final, the American pair of Abigail Rencheli and Alana Smith were victorious thanks to a 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 win over Canadian Stacey Fung and her partner, Karman Kaur Thandi.