Victoria Mboko is not playing the 2026 Toronto Open because she is still recovering from a medial collateral ligament injury in her left knee. The Canadian sustained the injury after slipping during a match at Queen’s Club on June 10 and was unable to recover in time to defend her National Bank Open title.
Her absence is not connected to her ranking, tournament scheduling or a personal decision to skip the event. The injury has also ruled her out of the 2026 US Open, and no confirmed return tournament has been announced.
How did Victoria Mboko injure her knee?
Mboko injured her left knee during a second-round singles match against Karolina Pliskova at the Queen’s Club Championships in London on June 10.
Pliskova led 6-2, 3-4 when Mboko slipped while trying to change direction on the grass. She immediately grabbed her knee and could not continue the match. The retirement was the first of Mboko’s WTA Tour career.
Two days later, Mboko confirmed that the fall had injured the medial collateral ligament in her left knee. She withdrew from the rest of the grass-court season, including Wimbledon.
The injury also ended her Queen’s Club doubles campaign with Serena Williams. Mboko and Williams had won their opening match against third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe before withdrawing from the tournament.
Mboko said at the time that she was receiving medical care and working with her team toward a return. She did not provide a specific recovery date.
When did Mboko withdraw from the Toronto Open?
Mboko officially withdrew from the National Bank Open on July 7.
The 19-year-old described missing the tournament as particularly disappointing because it is held close to where she grew up and because she was expected to defend the biggest title of her career in front of Canadian supporters.
Her injury timeline now includes several major withdrawals:
- June 10: Mboko injured her left knee against Pliskova at Queen’s Club.
- June 12: She confirmed an MCL injury and withdrew from Wimbledon.
- July 7: She withdrew from the National Bank Open in Toronto.
- July 31: Her absence from the 2026 US Open entry list was confirmed.
- August 4: She attended the Toronto tournament and met supporters despite being unable to compete.
The WTA’s official Toronto guide states that the continuing MCL injury will keep Mboko out through the US Open.
Why is Mboko the defending champion if she won in Montreal?
Mboko won the women’s National Bank Open title in Montreal in 2025, but the women’s tournament moved to Toronto for the 2026 edition.
The Canadian event alternates its men’s and women’s competitions between Toronto and Montreal each year. Toronto is hosting the WTA tournament in 2026, while Montreal is hosting the men’s ATP event.
Mboko entered the 2025 Montreal tournament as a wild card and produced the breakthrough run of her career. She defeated four Grand Slam champions—Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka—on her way to the title.
She recovered from losing the opening set of the final to defeat Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. The victory gave Mboko her first WTA Tour title and made her the reigning women’s National Bank Open champion.
Her knee injury therefore prevented her from attempting to defend the title when the women’s event returned to Toronto.
Will Victoria Mboko play at the 2026 US Open?
Mboko will not play at the 2026 US Open.
She was absent from the tournament’s official entry list released at the end of July. Current reporting attributes that absence to the same left-knee injury that ruled her out of Wimbledon and Toronto.
The US Open is scheduled to begin on August 30, giving Mboko less than three months between the Queen’s Club fall and the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.
No tournament has been publicly confirmed as her return event. Any prediction about when she will compete again should therefore be treated cautiously until Mboko, her team or the WTA provides an official update.
Did Victoria Mboko attend the Toronto tournament?
Although she could not compete, Mboko visited Sobeys Stadium on August 4.
The defending champion signed autographs, spoke with supporters and participated in a Centre Court ceremony with Tennis Canada representatives. Her appearance allowed local fans to see her at the event without requiring her to risk returning to competition before her knee had recovered.
This updated appearance is important because Tennis Canada initially said only that Mboko intended to make fan-facing appearances during the tournament. Her August 4 visit confirmed that she followed through with that plan.
Mboko’s withdrawal leaves the Toronto draw without its defending champion and one of Canada’s leading players. The reason, however, remains straightforward: the left-knee MCL injury she sustained at Queen’s Club has kept her out of Toronto and will also prevent her from competing at the US Open.
