Despite the loss, Mboko, who started the 2025 season ranked outside the top 300, will jump into the top 10 as she has the most wins on the women’s tour this season.
She admitted it was “not the outcome I wanted”, adding: “There are a lot of positives to take away from it.”
The next WTA 1,000 event will be held in Doha on Sunday, but the world’s top two players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will be absent.
Sabalenka, who has been sidelined since losing to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final last month, said she was “not feeling 100 per cent”, while Doha quarter-finalist Swiatek noted “a change in schedule”.
