Who is Victoria Mboko? Alex Eala’s second-round opponent in the Hong Kong Open

Alexandra "Alex" Eala will face a familiar foe in the second round of the Hong Kong Open as she takes on Canada’s Victoria Mboko on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Mboko, currently ranked No. 21 in the world, her career-high, is a 19-year-old rising star who captured her first WTA title at the Canadian Open, where she defeated Naomi Osaka in the final last August.

Eala, 20, is ranked No. 51, also a career-best for the Filipina tennis ace.

The Canadian prodigy made her Grand Slam main-draw debut this year and impressed with a strong showing: reaching the Round of 32 at the French Open, the Round of 64 at Wimbledon, and the Round of 128 at the US Open.

According to the WTA, Mboko has compiled a 55–14 win-loss record so far this season.

While this will be their first encounter at the professional level, Eala and Mboko previously faced off in the semifinals of the 2022 US Open Juniors, where Eala prevailed, 6–1, 7–6.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News