Rennae Stubbs has drawn a sharp line between two of the WTA Tour’s rising names, suggesting Victoria Mboko has the tools to become a Grand Slam champion, while arguing that Alex Eala will need major changes to reach that level.

Mboko and Eala have both moved into the spotlight over the past year, each delivering breakout results that have lifted their profiles and rankings. Mboko captured her first WTA 1000 crown in Montreal last season, while Eala has been the steadier performer in 2026, highlighted by six wins against Top 10 opponents.

Three weeks ago, Eala made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach the second week of a Grand Slam, doing so after advancing to the last 16 at Wimbledon.

Mboko’s season has been interrupted by injury. She recently teamed up with Serena Williams in the women’s doubles at Queen’s Club, which marked Williams’ return to professional tennis. But Mboko then suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in her left knee during singles play. That problem forced her out of the tournament and later led to withdrawals from Wimbledon, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. She has also decided to skip the US Open.

The Canadian is also due to lose the 1,000 ranking points she earned for winning the Canadian Open in 2025, when she beat four Grand Slam champions during her remarkable title run.

Stubbs, who coached Williams during her final US Open in 2022 and has also worked with her during her comeback, offered her assessment on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

“Eala’s serve will never win her a Grand Slam,” Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

“I know people could say the same about Angie Kerber, but I feel that’s what’s holding Eala back.

“I think it’s also what’s holding Jessica Pegula back. Pegula’s second serve is very vulnerable against players who hit the ball hard. I still hope she can win a Grand Slam, but right now I simply don’t see it happening.

“Once Victoria Mboko recovers from her injury, I believe she has the skill, the audacity and the confidence needed to win one. She doesn’t get nervous – she just goes for it. There are still many parts of her game she can improve, especially her serve, and technically her forehand can get even better.

“But it’s her confidence that makes me believe in her.

“Hopefully, once she recovers from this knee injury, she can win a Grand Slam over the next few years.”

Eala and Mboko have met twice, including once on the ITF junior circuit. Eala won their first meeting at the 2022 US Open girls’ event, a 6-1, 7-6(5) result that sent her into the quarter-finals. Mboko levelled the rivalry last season at the Hong Kong Open, coming from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their first WTA Tour meeting.

Alex Eala has kept her momentum rolling in Washington, where she moved into the semi-finals of the Washington Open and secured a place inside the world’s Top 25 for the first time. The Filipina said the achievement felt “so surreal” after another impressive display in a season that has already been packed with milestones.

Eala booked her spot in the last four with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 event. It was her sixth victory over a Top 10 player this season, and one that again highlighted the level she has maintained throughout 2026. She also beat the same opponent by the same score in Berlin six weeks ago.

The 21-year-old has been one of the standout stories of the year. She recently became the first player from the Philippines to reach the second week of a Grand Slam, going on to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.

After her latest win, Eala reflected on the effort behind her progress. “It was tough, but good, I’m really, really happy. I had fun out there. I think it was a great battle, so I’m really happy,” she said.

She also outlined the approach that has shaped her rise. “Training, preparation, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, a good mentality, a will to win, a will to endure, and trying to find solutions. That’s what I strive for. I can’t say that I’m perfect at it – definitely far from perfect – but that’s what I strive to be.

“I would say [my game is] brave. I’d say brave, flexible. I try to be a more versatile player. That’s one of the things I’ve been working on: having different solutions and trying to be patient.

“I try not to be a one-dimensional player. That’s something I’m working on.”

Eala also drew a strong reaction from the Washington crowd, who greeted her with prolonged applause before her interview. “Amazing, I feel so loved,” she said. She added, “The atmosphere out there was electric. It was super fun, super intense. It definitely added to that intense feeling, so it was really fun.”

Looking ahead, Eala will face Naomi Osaka in Friday’s semi-final. It will be their first meeting, and Eala said, “It means a lot, it’s the semi-finals of a WTA 500.”

Iga Swiatek is treating the North American hard-court swing as a chance to refine details, with technical work now at the top of her list as she continues her early partnership with Francisco Roig and tries to reverse a difficult 2026 season.

The Pole has yet to find consistent form this year, reaching only one semi-final across 10 singles tournaments. Recent results have added to the pressure. At Wimbledon, where she was defending champion, Swiatek fell 7-6(11), 6-2 to Alex Eala in the third round. At the French Open, a tournament she has won four times, she was beaten 7-5, 6-1 by Marta Kostyuk.

Those defeats have pushed Swiatek down to eighth in the WTA Live Rankings, her lowest position in more than a year. She is only 80 points ahead of ninth-ranked Elina Svitolina and 183 points clear of world No 10 Amanda Anisimova, so her place in the top 10 is under real threat.

After a challenging first three months of the season, Swiatek ended her 18-month partnership with Wim Fissette and brought in Roig. The move was seen as a major reset, and the former Rafael Nadal coach arrives with a long record, having spent nearly 20 years working with the Spaniard and helping him to all 22 of his Grand Slam singles titles.

Swiatek and Roig will now open their first hard-court event together at the WTA 1000 in Toronto, which runs from August 2 to August 13. Speaking during the draw ceremony, Swiatek said: “Well, you know, obviously I had quite some time to get used to the hard courts, so it’s not so rushed as it was last year, so I already feel like I had a nice two-week period of practice on hard courts,” Swiatek said during the draw ceremony at the Canadian event.

“The priority is basically just developing my game, because I started working with my new coach before the clay-court season, and preparing for Roland Garros and then Wimbledon, it’s not like we had such a long time of practice.

“Now, it was the longest, I would say, so it was nice to use that time with him and my goal is to just implement all that stuff that he wants me to use, because – before clay and before grass – my goal was to just adapt to the surfaces and – on hard courts – I feel like I can focus more on the technical stuff that Francisco wanted me to change, and that’s going to be my main focus for the next weeks.”

Her opening match will be against Wang Xinyu or Sara Bejlek, with Donna Vekic a possible third-round opponent. Marta Kostyuk could be waiting in the fourth round if she gets past Madison Keys. Jessica Pegula is projected for the quarter-finals, while a semi-final could bring either Aryna Sabalenka or Amanda Anisimova.

Swiatek has had mixed results in her four previous trips to the Canadian event, with a semi-final run in 2023 standing as her best showing.