Victoria Mboko from Toronto secured her place in the third round of the Australian Open women’s singles 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 also advanced by beating Polina Kudermetova from Uzbekistan in a closely contested match that lasted for one hour and 53 minutes.
Mboko’s victory over McNally was achieved in one hour and 32 minutes, during which she recorded an ace, 15 winners, 24 unforced errors, and two double faults. In contrast, McNally had no aces, 14 winners, 27 unforced errors, and six double faults. Mboko managed to win six out of nine service games and five out of nine return games.
In the women’s doubles event, Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa partnered with Luisa Stefani from Brazil to defeat the American duo of Jessica Pegula and McCartney Kessler with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (3). Dabrowski and Stefani will now face Elsa Jacquemot from France and Emiliana Arango from Colombia in the next round.
In another women’s doubles match, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, and her partner Timea Babos from Hungary were defeated by the duo of 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 record attendance with a combined total of 103,720 fans attending day and night sessions, setting a new full-day record. Top players like Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Alexander Zverev advanced to the third round of the tournament.
Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, is aiming for her third title in Melbourne. She started her campaign with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Bai Zhouxuan. Alcaraz also emerged victorious in his match against Yannick Hanfmann, while Zverev overcame Alexandre Muller after a brief rain delay and concerns over an ankle injury.
Local favorite Alex de Minaur also progressed to the next round with a win over Hamad Medjedovic. The tournament continues to witness thrilling matches and top players vying for victory as the action unfolds at Melbourne Park.