Making her return in Montreal for the Canadian Open, Gauff survived a tough test against Danielle Collins<\/a> in round two to set up a third-round tie with Veronika Kudermetova.<\/p>\n Dropping the first set, it seemed like the American was heading out of the tournament, before Gauff came through to defeat Kudermetova<\/a> 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.<\/p>\n Next up for Gauff<\/a> is home-favorite Victoria Mboko, a player she believes has the potential to be one of the very best.<\/p>\n Coco Gauff believes Victoria Mboko will be a top-ranked player soon<\/p>\n During her post-match press conference, Gauff previewed her last-16 clash with Mboko, looking back to their one previous encounter at the 2025 Italian Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, she\u2019s a great player. I mean, we played on clay, so it might be, well, it will be a different match,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, she\u2019s gotten more experience just being on tour and playing high-level players.<\/p>\n \u201cSo if I were to play her, it would be a tough match.\u201d<\/p>\n Gauff defeated Mboko<\/a> 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in Rome earlier this year, as the 18-year-old Canadian gave her a real scare when she took the first set.<\/p>\n As she prepares for her second career meeting with Mboko, Gauff shared her prediction about the world number 85.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s definitely playing like one of the top players in the world right now,\u201d said Gauff.<\/p>\n \u201cHer ranking will definitely match that soon. So yeah, it would be a tough match.\u201d<\/p>\n Defeating Kimberly Birrell, Sofia Kenin, and Marie Bouzkova en route to the last 16, Mboko moved herself into the top 70 in the \u2018Live WTA Rankings\u2019, as she continues her charge towards the top.<\/p>\n Live RankNameNationalityAgePoints62Lucia BronzettiItalian2696863Ann LiAmerican2596364Yulia StarodubtsevaUkrainian2596265Victoria MbokoCanadian1895566Renata ZarazuaMexican1795167Alexandra EalaFilippino2093668Elina AvanesyanArmenian22933Snapshot of the \u2018Live WTA Rankings\u2019<\/p>\n If Mboko were to take down Gauff and qualify for her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Montreal, she could jump to as high as 55th in the \u2018Live WTA Rankings\u2019, a mightily impressive feat for a player of her age.<\/p>\n The Canadian\u2019s 2025 breakout year has been incredible to watch, as Mboko continues to make a name for herself on the WTA Tour.<\/p>\n Victoria Mboko\u2019s 2025 season<\/p>\n Mboko began the 2025 season ranked 350th in the world, but quickly made a move in the right direction, enjoying success on the ITF [International Tennis Federation] tour.<\/p>\n In January and February, Mboko remarkably won 22 consecutive matches without dropping a set, as she clinched four ITF titles.<\/p>\n A fifth title followed in March, as Mboko broke into the world\u2019s top 200 and made the step up to the WTA Tour.<\/p>\n TournamentFinal opponentResultScoreITF Le Lamentin (Martinique), FranceClervie NgounoueWin7-5, 6-3ITF Petit-Bourg (Guadeloupe), FranceClervie NgounoueWin6-4, 6-0Georgia\u2019s Rome Tennis Open, United StatesEva VedderWin7-5, 6-3ITF Manchester, United KingdomManon LeonardWin7-6, 6-2Porto Women\u2019s Indoor ITF, PortugalHarriet DartWin6-1, 6-1Victoria Mboko\u2019s record in 2025 ITF finals<\/p>\n Awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the Miami Open, Mboko won her first tour-level match, defeating Camila Osorio in round one before losing to Paula Badosa<\/a> in a third-set tiebreaker in her second-round match.<\/p>\n![\"Coco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2226992258-1024x628.jpg\")
Photo by Robert Prange\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Coco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2213629692-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n