Doha finalist Victoria Mboko withdraws from 2026 Dubai Championships

Monday, 16 February 2026 at 10:30

byErik Virostko

Victoria Mboko was close to winning the Qatar Open title, but after losing the final in Doha, she withdrew from the Dubai Championships.

Mboko is one of the most promising talents on the WTA Tour. In Doha, she reached her second WTA 1000 final, but this time, the Canadian was on the losing end. Karolina Muchova beat her 6-4, 7-5 in the final.

The run to the final secured Mboko a Top 10 breakthrough, so despite finishing as the runner-up, she still had a reason to have a smile on her face. Speaking after the final, the 19-year-old said there were many positives to take away after her great week in Doha.

"I first want to thank everyone who came to support this week. Everyone did a really great job. It was amazing. I wanna thank Karolina and her team. You played really well. Hopefully, you can have many great matches in the future, and hopefully I can play you more in the future."

"I want to thank my team and my dad for supporting me this week. It’s not the outcome I wanted, but I think there are so many positives to take away. Thank you."

After such a great result in Doha, fans in Dubai were eager to see Mboko in action as well. The teenager was drawn against Jaqueline Cristian and would have been one of the favorites to win the title in Dubai.

But like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, Mboko, too, withdrew from the 2026 Dubai Championships. She cited a right elbow injury as a reason for her withdrawal, sending lucky loser Petra Marcinko into the main draw.

Victoria Mboko refuses to find excuses after losing the Doha final

Despite losing her first WTA 1000 final, Mboko didn't want to find any excuses. Instead, she praised her opponent's efforts, recognizing how well Muchova played in the final match.

"Making it to the finals is generally a positive thing, it's never a negative. She played really great tennis. Playing Top 10 players, my first time here too, I didn't have many expectations (for) myself. She was just sharper on the most important points. She was able to stay solid in those points where I think I was missing a lot more than her. She had some really great shots that put me on defense."

After withdrawing from the Dubai Championships, Mboko will not appear on the tennis courts before the Sunshine Double. The next two events on the teenager's schedule are the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open.

She is one of many top players who chose to withdraw from the Dubai Championships. Aryna Sabalenka withdrew because of a right hip injury, Iga Swiatek cited a change of schedule as a reason for her withdrawal, Karolina Muchova named the same reason, while Maria Sakkari said she struggled with an illness, and Qinwen Zheng mentioned the same reason for her withdrawal.