Adelaide International: Madison Keys loses to Victoria Mboko in QF

Adelaide: Defending champion Madison Keys suffered a shock exit from the Adelaide International on Thursday, crashing out in the quarter-finals after a three-set defeat to Canada’s rising star Victoria Mboko.  World No. 17 Mboko, 19, defeated ninth-ranked Keys 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in one hour and 53 minutes for her second career victory against a top-10 opponent. Eighth seed Mboko struck first by breaking Keys early to take the opening set but struggled to match the American’s powerful serving in the second. In the deciding set, Mboko was clinical on serve, winning 75 percent of points on her first delivery and capitalising on the only break opportunity she earned.

“I know she won this tournament last year and, of course, the Australian Open. I knew coming into this match it had to be a big fight, so I’m glad I got it done,” Mboko said on court after the match, as reported by Xinhua. Keys had won the Adelaide International title in 2025 before going on to claim her first career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open weeks later. She will be in action in Melbourne on January 18 to defend her title. Mboko will play Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in Friday’s semifinal, after the world No. 107 came back from a set down to beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 in a three-hour epic. (IANS)

Also Read: Milos Raonic bids adieu to international tennis