Victoria Mboko defeated Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 7-6 in the second round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to reach the third round. March 6, 2026 at 1: 00 p. m. ET — victoria mboko’s win keeps the 10th seed moving in the American swing and sets up a third-round meeting with Anna Kalinskaya.
Victoria Mboko’s Serving and Break Efficiency Powered the Win Over Birrell
Mboko, the 10th seed, delivered seven aces and committed five double faults while converting five of her seven break-point chances. She won 69 percent of first-serve points in the match, while Birrell had two aces, four double faults and converted four of seven break opportunities, winning 54 percent of first-serve points.
victoria mboko and Mirra Andreeva Pull Off Women’s Doubles Upset
In women’s doubles, victoria mboko teamed with 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva to upset the fourth-seeded pair of Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai, winning 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 in the opening round. The victory added a doubles result to Mboko’s singles progress at Indian Wells.
Felix Auger-Aliassime Rallied Past Gael Monfils to Advance
On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime recovered from a first-set tiebreak loss to beat Gael Monfils 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in second-round action. Auger-Aliassime finished with 14 aces, four double faults, 34 winners and 29 unforced errors; he saved two break points and will face the winner of the Andrey Rublev–Gabriel Diallo match.
Denis Shapovalov Survives Tight Three-Set Match
Denis Shapovalov defeated No. 29 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 in a second-round match. Shapovalov recorded 14 aces, nine double faults, 43 winners and 49 unforced errors, and is set to play No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner in the next round.
Diallo and Leylah Fernandez are scheduled to play their second-round matches on Saturday; match times have not been released.
