Victoria Mboko and Leylah Fernandez have set up an all-Canadian quarterfinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg after both secured second-round victories.
Mboko, the top seed, overcame Lois Boisson, while No. 7 seed Fernandez battled past Magdalena Frech in a match lasting 2 hours and 48 minutes.
Mboko Shakes Off Rust with Victory Over Boisson
Victoria Mboko secured her first clay-court win of 2026 with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of home wild card Lois Boisson. Both Mboko and Boisson were aiming to shake off rust, with Mboko having undergone surgery to remove her wisdom teeth after Miami.
She began her clay-court swing in Madrid, falling to Caty McNally, and then withdrew from Rome due to gastrointestinal illness. Madrid also marked Boisson’s return to action following a seven-month hiatus due to leg and arm injuries.
The first set saw a combined 40 unforced errors between the two players. Mboko, 19, impressed with her 71% first serve percentage and judicious net approaches.
“She has really good results on clay and I knew it wasn’t going to be very easy,” Mboko said. “I just wanted to stay there as much as I can, make it very physical … It’s not easy to hit with power and try to be consistent, but I just wanted to stay with my game and try to step into the court as much as I could, because that’s how I like to play.”
Fernandez Battles Past Frech in Three Sets
Leylah Fernandez battled past Magdalena Frech 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Fernandez, 23, blended patience and creativity to overcome Frech’s defense. Her drop shot proved particularly effective.
Fernandez also had to hold off a late-stage comeback attempt by Frech, who raised her aggression levels.
Mboko and Fernandez Set for Second Career Meeting
Mboko will face Fernandez for the second time. Mboko won their first meeting 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in last year’s Hong Kong semifinals.
Boisson had lost the first three matches of her comeback. She had lost to Peyton Stearns in Madrid, Katerina Siniakova in Rome and Dominika Salkova in the Parma WTA 125. She then secured a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Wang Xinyu in the Strasbourg first round.