Canada’s Mboko closes in on main draw berth at Italian Open tennis tournament

ROME — Canada’s Victoria Mboko advanced to the second round of qualifying at the Italian Open WTA 1000 tennis tournament with a 6-3, 6-2 win over 17th-seed Cristina Bucsa of Spain on Monday.

The 18-year-old from Toronto fired seven aces on the clay courts in Rome and broke Bucsa five times on 10 chances to wrap up the win in one hour 14 minutes.

Mboko will next face ninth seed Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia for the chance to advance to her second career 1000-level main draw. She advanced to the second round of the Miami Open in March.

Mboko, the world No. 158, has a 31-3 record this season, largely playing on the lower-tier ITF World Tour, where she has won five titles.

In other qualifying action Monday, Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., fell 6-4, 6-4 to 10th-seed Emiliana Arango of Colombia.

Both players struggled to hold serve, with Arango converting nine break points to Stakusic’s seven.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.