Paula Badosa was definitely impressed with Victoria Mboko's level during their Miami Open second-round match, even claiming to her team that the 18-year-old was "playing better than Aryna Sabalenka."
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Through the opening two months of the season, the rising Canadian star stunningly won 22 consecutive matches - all without a dropped set on the ITF level - to win four Futures titles. Her results didn't go unnoticed and the Miami organizers decided to reward her with a wildcard.
In her WTA 1000 debut, Mboko upset Camila Osorio 7-5 5-7 6-3. Against Badosa - who made the Australian Open semifinal earlier this year - the world No. 162 lost a tight first set but opened an early 3-0 second-set lead.
"I do not know what I need to do, she plays better than Aryna Sabalenka," the world No. 11 was heard telling her team in Spanish while trying to get on the board in the fourth game of the second set.
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Badosa ultimately managed to find a way to fend off Mboko
After making it perfectly clear how she felt about her opponent, the No. 10 seed managed to serve out the fourth game and reduce the deficit to 3-1. However, it didn't change much since the 18-year-old claimed the next three games and forced a decider.
In the third set, Badosa blew a 5-2 lead and further complicated things for herself. But luckily for the Spaniard, she was able to come up big in the tie-break and avoid a surprise defeat.
Since Badosa plays next against Clara Tauson - who has already made two finals in 2025 and owns a 2-1 head-to-head against the Spaniard - all the chances are that the 27-year-old Spanish player has another difficult task ahead of her Miami.
