Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng's winning streak on the clay courts in Paris faces a stern test in Friday's French Open third-round contest as the Chinese star takes on the rapidly rising Victoria Mboko.
The Canadian teenager's potential has been evident in 2025, and the Grand Slam debutant aims to secure the biggest victory of her fledgling career against the eighth seed.
Match preview
© Imago
Mboko is living the dream on her Grand Slam debut in Paris, achieving victories over Lulu Sun and Eva Lys to set up Friday's matchup with Zheng.
The 18-year-old has progressed without dropping a set in both victories, thereby improving to 42-5 for the season, having come through qualifying to compete in her first major.
With five titles already secured at ITF level, the Canadian player entered the second Slam of the year following a run to a WTA 125 final in Parma, where she fell to Mayar Sherif in straight sets.
Nevertheless, Mboko's potential has already seen her make debut appearances at WTA 1000 tournaments in Miami and Rome, suffering three-set losses to Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff in the respective events.
Hoping to take positives from those defeats in her third match against top-20 opposition, the teenage sensation aims to be third-time lucky at Zheng's expense.
© Imago
This will be no easy feat against the five-time WTA champion and Olympic champion, who has won eight consecutive matches on the Parisian clay.
Entering the second major of the year after a quarter-final run in Charleston and a semi-final effort in Rome, either side of a disappointing early exit in Madrid, the 22-year-old Chinese star has now improved to 8-3 on clay heading into the round-three contest.
While Zheng's progress to round three has come in straight sets against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Emiliana Arango, defeating the latter was anything but straightforward.
The Chinese player noted how the Colombian player's commendable defensive skills forced an extra shot, compelling the Olympic champion to vary her game by approaching the net more often.
The five-time titlist, whose powerful serve and ball-striking from the baseline are more pronounced than other aspects of her approach, won 18 of 21 points when she came forward, demonstrating a willingness to mix things up if necessary.
Such adaptability may be crucial in overcoming the fast-rising Mboko, who appears poised to cause an upset unless Zheng performs at a high level to thwart the debuting teenager's advancement in Paris.
Tournament so far
Victoria Mboko:
First round: vs. Lulu Sun 6-1 7-6[4]
Second round: vs. Eva Lys 6-4 6-4
Qinwen Zheng:
First round: vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3
Second round: vs. Emiliana Arango 6-2 6-3
Head To Head
Zheng and Mboko will meet for the first time on Friday, with the victor taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
Although the talented Canadian has lost both top-20 matchups this season, her encounters with Badosa and Gauff in Miami and Rome, respectively, went the distance.
In her quest to be third-time lucky in Paris, the 18-year-old must snap Zheng's seven-match winning streak against players outside the top 100 — the Olympic champion has defeated Arantxa Rus, Angelique Kerber, Jule Niemeier, Sofia Kenin, Anca Todoni, Lauren Davis and Bianca Andreescu since her defeat to Sun at Wimbledon last year — to advance to the fourth round.
We say: Zheng to win in three sets
While Friday's match will certainly be challenging, Zheng is tipped to edge past Mboko in three closely contested sets, extending her winning run on the Parisian clay and maintaining her dominance over opponents outside the top 100.
