Canadians Mboko, Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov advance at Indian Wells tennis tourney

INDIAN WELLS — Canada’s Victoria Mboko is on to the third round of the Indian Wells tournament.

The 19-year-old from Toronto defeated Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Friday in second-round women’s singles tennis action.

Mboko had seven aces to five double faults and broke on five of her seven chances.

The 10th-seeded Mboko also won 69 per cent of first-serve points.

Birrell had two aces to four double faults and converted four of her seven breakpoint opportunities.

She won just 54 per cent of first-serve points.

Mboko later teamed up with 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva to upset the fourth-seeded women’s doubles team of Elise Mertens of Belgium and Zhang Shuai of China 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Félix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal defeated wild card Gael Monfils of France 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that took two hours 17 minutes to play.

The ninth-seeded Canadian will play the winner of a match between 17th-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev and Gabriel Diallo of Montreal.

Against Monfils, Auger-Aliassime finished with 14 aces, four double faults, 34 winners and 29 unforced errors. Monfils had 12 aces, five double faults, 31 winners and 21 unforced errors.

The Canadian saved two break points and won two of five. Monfils saved three of five break points and won none of the two opportunities he had.

Later Friday, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., bounced Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 in a match that took two hours, 39 minutes to play. The Canadian will face the second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy in the round of 32 men’s singles.

Shapovalov finished with 14 aces, nine double faults, 43 winners, 49 unforced errors, one break point win and he won 40 points while receiving.

Etcheverry had four aces, no double faults, 14 winners, 25 unforced errors and no tiebreak wins. He won 38 points while receiving.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2026.

The Canadian Press