Defending champion Victoria Mboko pulls out of Canadian Open due to knee injury

Victoria Mboko suffered an injury at Queen's
Victoria Mboko suffered an injury at Queen'sAdrian Dennis / AFP / AFP / Profimedia

Reigning women’s singles champion Victoria ⁠Mboko has withdrawn from the Canadian Open due to ‌a knee injury, the world number ‌10 confirmed on Tuesday.

The ‌19-year-old Canadian has not played ‌a competitive match since slipping ‌awkwardly while facing Karolina Pliskova at the Queen's Club ‌Championships in June.

After scans on ⁠her ‌left knee, Mboko pulled out of ​her doubles quarter-final alongside 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena ​Williams and said she had injured the medial collateral ⁠ligament.

The injury ​forced Mboko to withdraw from the rest of the grass-court season, including Wimbledon.

Mboko said ‌on Tuesday that the US Open tune-up event in Toronto meant "everything to her".

"Not being able to play at home this summer in front of the people I love and with the support of ‌the Toronto crowd is ​deeply disappointing as it has ‌been something I’ve been looking so much forward to," she said.

The Canadian Open runs from August 2nd to 13th in ⁠Toronto.