Mboko books quarter-final berth, Musetti advances at Vienna Open as Djokovic pulls out of Paris Masters

Victoria Mboko breezed past Eva Lys in under an hour on Wednesday in Tokyo, winning 6-1, 6-1 to reach the Toray Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals. It’s the second WTA quarterfinal of her young career.

“I wanted to just be myself and try to play very aggressively,” Mboko said after the match.

“I didn’t really have much of a game plan. I just wanted to play freely and just be very positive with myself on court. So, I think I checked all the marks today, and it all worked out at the end of the day.”

Mboko broke serve to open the match and won the first set in just 25 minutes, committing only two unforced errors and dropping just three points on serve. She backed it up with a near-identical second set, and the final numbers supported her post-match assessment.

It was nearly zero, only to be undone in the final game, but Mboko faced just one break point all match, saving it with ease. Lys never truly mounted a serious threat against her serve.

Oct.22 marked Mboko’s second win over Lys this season, her second straight victory overall and the day in which she reached her second career WTA quarterfinal.

Double bagels get the spotlight, but Mboko has quietly racked up five double breadsticks in her career. She’s made a habit of breaking spirits, not bread.

No. 6 seed Linda Noskova improved to 2-1 overall against McCartney Kessler with a three-set win over the American in the Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis second round. Noskova advanced to her seventh quarterfinal of 2025.

Lorenzo Musetti was not thrown off by an unexpected late change of opponent on Tuesday at the Vienna Open, where the Italian eased past Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-3 to kick-start his campaign at the ATP 500.

Saturday’s draw in Vienna had pitched fourth seed Musetti against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the Greek was forced to withdraw shortly before the match due to a back injury. The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Medjedovic stepped up to play as a lucky loser, but Musetti shut down the Serbian’s powerful game with a classy 79-minute display.

“There was a late switch, but of course I think I managed well to focus on my things and what I have to do when I step on the court,” said Musetti after his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Medjedovic. “I think it was a solid performance. Nothing special, but definitely what I needed in these moments, to stay solid and stay focused.

“I had a really great attitude today after the beginning was a little bit nervous. It was a great reaction, and that is what we are focusing on, and then I think the tennis will come.”

Musetti will take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round after the Argentine defeated Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 6-3, 6-3.

Musetti, who is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, seeks a deep run in Vienna in order to bolster his chances of securing a Nitto ATP Finals debut.

Alexander Zverev was pushed to the brink by British qualifier Jacob Fearnley but came through with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) victory. Fearnley threatened to earn his first Top 10 win in six attempts but was turned back by the second seed in a high-quality third set.

Novak Djokovic announced on Tuesday he would miss the upcoming Paris Masters, but added he hoped to compete at the tournament next year.

Djokovic has not played an official match since going down to then-world number 204 Valentin Vacherot in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters earlier in October.

The 38-year-old struggled physically throughout that match, throwing up courtside and receiving medical treatment multiple times.

“Dear Paris, unfortunately I’ll not compete at this year’s (tournament),” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said on social media.

“I have amazing memories and great success over the years, especially being able to conquer the title 7 times. “Hope to see you next year.”

Last week, Djokovic was forced to abandon his third place match against American Taylor Fritz at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia.

Agencies