QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 12, 2026

Victoria Mboko

Press Conference

V. MBOKO/E. Rybakina

7-5, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Vicky, congratulations on reaching the semifinal. How did you feel about your performance?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, well, going into the match I knew I would have to put up a really big fight. She'd just won the Australian Open, I've previously played her three times, so I think I knew what to expect coming into the match, and that it wasn't going to be easy at all.

Yeah, I feel like we both had our ups and downs in the match. Both of us maybe not starting so great. I think when you're not feeling your best and just getting it through, I think it feels good in a way when you're able to pull it through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Is there something about her game that matches up well for you, because now it's two times against an Australian Open champion.

VICTORIA MBOKO: Well, I don't really know. She has a big serve and she plays a pretty fast pace. So I think for me already just estimating that she's going to have really hard shots, and just mentally preparing myself, I guess, to try to retrieve as many balls as I can I think prepared me to try to play against her. I wouldn't say that there's something that she does that I like, because she's a really great ball striker, really great server, so, yeah.

Q. Yesterday you were talking about how you were planning to watch Qinwen and Elena's match. Was there anything from that match, if you did watch it, that you learned that kind of helped you going into today?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Not really. I feel like kind of watching on TV it doesn't really feel the same as playing. I think I watched it just for fun. I don't think she has that many flaws in her game that you're able to really exploit anything. It was just nice to watch to kind of see what to expect. It was really high-level play of Qinwen and Elena yesterday, so I think it just prepared me to expect a really good battle.

Q. You were kind of coming in on the second serve and trying to return it on a second serve. Was that something that you talked about before the match, or was that during the match did you decide to go for it?

VICTORIA MBOKO: No, I personally find that the courts here are really slow. So I think, I mean, with a second serve and your opponent's going to kick it, I think it's going to bounce really high. So my ideology is to either wait for it, or just take it really early and don't give yourself time to think and just rip it.

Q. Also, you were down a break in the first set and the third set against one of the best servers in the game. What was your mindset when you were down a break at that time? What were you thinking?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Well, nothing was really going through my mind. I was expecting that. I think she's one of the best, I think she is the best server on tour. I think for her to hold it would have been a lot easier for her than for me. I mean, not putting so much expectation on myself to keep holding every single time consistently, I think that just let me have less pressure on myself in the match and let me play freely. So sometimes I was surprised to even break her, so, yeah.

Q. You had a couple of really good lobs over Elena, which is not easy, given how tall she is. What inspires the decision to go for the lob versus a passing shot for you?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, I feel like when she comes to the net, I feel like she closes really well, and so I felt like I didn't really have much space to pass her on. So I think the last resort for me was just to lob and, yeah, try to do it as best as I can.

Luckily, I made it in the court every time I have done it, so yeah, I think it was just pretty lucky for me.