Mboko scores comeback win, while Navarro gets on the board in 2026

Victoria Mboko didn’t make it easy on herself in her Adelaide opener, dropping the first set to Beatriz Haddad Maia before rallying for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win in just over two hours.

Adelaide: Scores | Draws | Order of play

“It’s never easy to play her,” Mboko said after the match. “She’s such a talented player. It was such a difficult match for me, so to get through today was…I feel relieved a little bit.

“She has a lot of variety in her game, she’s super aggressive and can hit a very heavy ball. Honestly, I just wanted to stand my ground as much as I possibly could. She hit some amazing shots, too, so I have to give her credit for that. But at the end of the day, I just wanted to hold it there as much as I could and fight really hard every point.”

Mboko was joined in the winner’s circle by Emma Navarro, who faced a tricky first-round assignment against 17-year-old Australian Emerson Jones in the first round. Navarro kept both her opponent and the home crowd at bay, earning her first win of 2026 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in 1 hour and 18 minutes on Centre Court.

“It’s nice to get a win under my belt in 2026,” Navarro said in her on-court interview.  “I had a pretty long offseason, so I’m happy to be back competing. And yeah, tough contest today. I think you guys got a good one in Emerson. She challenged me a good bit, and I think she’s going to be a really great player.

“I’ll be following and rooting for her success.”

Composure tells the tale of Mboko’s comeback

It would’ve been easy for Mboko to unravel after the way she lost the opening set. Serving down 6-5, she committed her first two double faults of the match to hand Haddad Maia a break point, which the Brazilian converted to steal the set.

Instead, Mboko quickly reset. Across the final two sets, Mboko went about her business, playing an efficient brand of tennis. She struck 18 winners against just nine unforced errors and converted six of her seven break-point chances.

The 19-year-old was nearly automatic on serve as well, landing 82% of her first serves in the second set and finishing at 76% for the match. That consistency gave Haddad Maia few openings to work her way back into the contest.

With the win, Mboko advances to the second round, where she’ll face Anna Kalinskaya for the second time. Mboko won their first meeting last year in the Hong Kong quarterfinals, leading 6-1, 3-1 before Kalinskaya retired.

Navarro spoils the Aussie party

If Navarro felt any pressure from the home crowd as she lined up across from Jones, she didn’t show it. The American took control early, racing out to a 3-0 lead. Jones applied some late pressure as Navarro served for the set at 5-3, but Navarro saved both break points to close it out.

The pair traded breaks to open the second set before Navarro surged ahead, winning four straight games to move within one of the finish line. Jones saved a match point before holding for 5-2 and broke in the next game to narrow the gap to 5-3, but Navarro responded immediately, converting her third match point to break Jones and seal the win.

It wasn’t the cleanest performance from the World No. 15, but it was a gritty one. Jones struggled with her serve, particularly her second serve, and Navarro took full advantage. She generated 13 break points across just two sets, and although she converted just five, it was more than enough to advance.

Navarro will face either Yulia Putintseva or Dalma Galfi in the second round. She is 1-0 against both players.

Other results around the grounds

• Alja Tomljanovic def. (5) Clara Tauson 7-6 (5), RET
• Anna Kalinskaya def. Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-0, 6-3