Victoria Mboko and Felix Auger-Aliassime won their singles matches on Sunday to give Canada an unassailable 2-0 lead over China in their opening tie of the 2026 United Cup in Sydney.
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In the first singles rubber of the tie, Mboko came from a set down to beat China’s Lin Zhu and give her country a 1-0 lead. Zhu, who had won the only previous meeting between the two players, made a quick start by winning the first four games. The 31-year-old held that early advantage to close out the opening set 6-2.
Mboko, who enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 season, climbing from outside the top 300 into the top 20, regrouped in the second set. The Canadian won the first four games and took the set 6-2 to force a decider.
The 19-year-old dominated the final set without dropping a game to seal a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory in 1 hour, 39 minutes.
It was Mboko’s sixth consecutive win on the WTA Tour after she ended 2025 on a five-match winning streak that earned her the second WTA Tour title of her season in Hong Kong.
In the second singles, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime carried his strong 2025 form into the new season with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 win over Zhang Zhizhen
The 25-year-old, at a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings scored his first opening victory of a season since 2021.
“I can be very pleased with this first match of the year,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Tennis is about rhythm, playing important points under pressure, so you never know what to expect. I woke up this morning hoping for the best, and then I played some of my best tennis.”
Auger-Aliassime ended the 2025 season in fine form, highlighted by a semifinal run at the US Open, a title at the ATP 250 in Brussels and a last-four finish at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals. He showed no signs of slowing down as he launched his 2026 campaign.
His serve proved especially decisive against Zhang, as he won 87% (33/38) points behind his first delivery and saved the only break point he faced to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.
Canada will next take on Belgium, and a victory in that tie will seal a quarterfinal spot for the Canadians.