Victoria Mboko from Toronto secured her place in the third round of women’s singles at the Australian Open in Melbourne by defeating American Caty McNally with a score of 6-4, 6-3. The 17th-seeded Canadian will now face the 14th-seeded Clara Tauson from Denmark in the upcoming round. Tauson managed to outplay Polina Kudermetova from Uzbekistan with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly two hours.
Mboko, who swiftly defeated McNally in one hour and 32 minutes, showcased a strong performance with an ace, 15 winners, 24 unforced errors, and two double faults. In comparison, McNally struggled with no aces, 14 winners, 27 unforced errors, and six double faults. Mboko dominated by winning six out of nine service games and five out of nine return games.
Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and her partner Luisa Stefani from Brazil triumphed over Americans Jessica Pegula and McCartney Kessler with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the women’s doubles. The winning duo is set to face Elsa Jacquemot from France and Emiliana Arango from Colombia in the next round.
In a separate women’s doubles match, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., and her partner Timea Babos from Hungary faced defeat against Cristina Bucsa from Moldova and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The Australian Open in Melbourne saw a record crowd of 103,720 fans attending the day and night sessions. Top players like Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Alexander Zverev advanced to the third round with impressive performances. Sabalenka is eyeing her third title at Melbourne Park after winning in 2023 and 2024.
Day 5 of the Australian Open promises thrilling matches, including Novak Djokovic facing Francesco Maestrelli and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner taking on Australia’s James Duckworth in the prime time night slot on Rod Laver Arena. Naomi Osaka is set to play against Sorana Cirstea in another exciting night match.