ROME — Toronto’s Victoria Mboko is through to the second round of the Italian Open WTA 1000 tennis tournament after posting a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Italy’s Arianna Zucchini on Wednesday.
Mboko, who advanced to her second career 1000-series event through qualifying, converted six break points, including three in a sequence that saw the 18-year-old Canadian and Zucchini trade breaks over the final five games of the second set.
Mboko, ranked 158th in the world, has compiled a 33-3 record this season while racking up five titles on the lower-tier ITF circuit.
She will face fourth seed Coco Gauff of the United States in the second round.
Later Wednesday, Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., faced Italy’s Federica Urgesi in the first round. The other Canadian in the women’s draw, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., is seeded 24th and has a first-round bye.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo, both from Montreal, and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., are entered on the men’s side.
Diallo faces American Marcos Giron in first-round action Thursday while Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov have byes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
The Canadian Press
