Victoria Mboko has become the latest player to pull out of the Rome Open, withdrawing just hours before her scheduled clash against Tyra Grant due to gastrointestinal illness. Her absence follows Amanda Anisimova’s withdrawal the previous day, leaving the tournament with another reshuffled draw.
A difficult period off court
The 19-year-old Canadian has faced her first significant health setbacks since establishing herself on the WTA Tour. She was already forced to miss Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan after undergoing major wisdom teeth surgery. These interruptions have disrupted her momentum at a crucial stage of the season.
Recent form and setbacks
Mboko, ranked world No.9, had shown strong form earlier this year with back-to-back quarterfinal runs during the Sunshine swing. She also reached two finals in 2026, losing to Mirra Andreeva in Adelaide and Karolina Muchova in Doha. However, her clay season began poorly with a surprising defeat to Caty McNally in Madrid, her only match on the surface before Rome.
Opportunity for Bartunkova
With Mboko sidelined, Nikola Bartunkova steps in as a lucky loser, gaining another chance to compete in Rome. This echoes the situation with Anisimova, who withdrew against Jelena Ostapenko due to lingering wrist issues, opening the door for another replacement.
Eyes on Roland Garros
The priority now for Mboko is recovery ahead of Roland Garros. She reached the third round on her debut last year and will hope to go further this time, but her preparation has been compromised. For the moment, her rise through the ranks is temporarily halted as she battles to regain full fitness.
WTA Rome - Victoria Mboko's projected path
Victoria Mboko in 2026
Ranked no.9 (career-high), Mboko played her last match on the 24th of April when she was defeated by world no.63 Caty McNally 6-4 6-1 in the 2nd round in Madrid (draw).
Currently, during this season the Canadian has achieved an overall 19-7 match record. Victoria Mboko’s best achievement of the current year was reaching the final in Adelaide and Doha.
