Auger-Aliassime, Mboko lead Canada past China at United Cup tennis event
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SYDNEY – Félix Auger-Aliassime and Victoria Mboko have picked up where they left off to open the 2026 tennis season.
Auger-Aliassime and Mboko led Canada past China in the United Cup mixed teams event Sunday, winning the Group B round-robin tie 3-0.
The men’s No. 5-ranked Auger-Aliassime outplayed Zhang Zhizhen 6-4, 6-4 after Mboko — 18th in the women’s rankings — rallied from one set down to beat Lin Zhu 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.
The two Canadians then partnered in a 6-1, 6-3 mixed doubles win over Xiaodi You and Rigele Te.
Auger-Aliassime reached the U.S. Open semifinal and captured an ATP 250 title at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels, then reached the ATP Finals semifinals to end last season.
The 25-year-old from Montreal won his season-opening match for the first time since 2021.
“I can be very pleased with this first match of the year,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Tennis is about rhythm, playing important points under pressure, so you never know what to expect. I woke up this morning hoping for the best, and then I played some of my best tennis.”
The 19-year-old Mboko, meanwhile, rose from outside the top 300 to become a top-20 player in a breakthrough past season.
She won the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Montreal and finished 2025 on a five-match winning streak to claim the Hong Kong Open title.
Canada next plays Belgium in group play on Tuesday in the United Cup. The tournament finishes Jan. 11.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2026.