Coco Gauff & Emma Navarro become role-models for Victoria Mboko as teenager's coach marvels at their strengths

Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro were among the three names mentioned by Victoria Mboko's coach Nathalie Tauziat recently, as the Frenchwoman spoke up about the WTA stars' on-court qualities that she would like the Canadian teenager to emulate going forward. Mboko enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2025, ending the year in the WTA singles ranking's top 20 after winning two titles, including a WTA 1000 event.

Tauziat, who reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 back in her playing days, recently gave an interview to Clay. Here, the 58-year-old spoke up about her admiration for Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini. Tauziat praised Gauff's fighting spirit and tactical intelligence, Navarro's all-court game and Paolini's temperament, saying:

"I like Cori (Coco) Gauff's mentality; she's a fighter on the court. I saw her at Roland Garros, and she played very intelligently in the final. I don't know Emma Navarro that well, but I really like her game; she can do everything. I also want to mention Jasmine Paolini; I love her temperament, and I really enjoy watching her play."

Victoria Mboko famously defeated Coco Gauff on her way to Canadian Open glory

Coco Gauff (left) and Victoria Mboko (right) embrace after the conclusion of their fourth-round match at the 2025 Canadian Open (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko locked horns for the first time in the second round of this year's Italian Open. Here, Mboko, a qualifier at the prestigious WTA 1000 claycourt event, put herself in a commanding position by winning the first set. However, Gauff stormed back into the contest and eventually came out on top.

At the Canadian Open though, Mboko exacted revenge and that too in some style, as she registered a surprisingly dominant 6-1, 6-4 victory against the two-time Major champion. Following her win over the American on home soil, the teenager said:

"It was one of the biggest matches I could have played so far in my career. So far I feel really happy with how it went. Playing Coco is obviously never easy. She’s no. 2 in the world, and it's been such a great opportunity for me to play against someone like her. I was just happy I kept my composure, and I pulled it through."

Victoria Mboko, still only 19, won her maiden WTA Tour-level title at this year's Canadian Open and later, captured the crown at the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open in November. These results, along with promising displays from the youngster spanning several other tournaments, led to the teenager finishing the year as the World No. 18.