At just 18 years old, wildcard Victoria Mboko has written her name in Canadian tennis history. On Sunday, she battled back to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the Canadian Open final, sealing her first WTA title in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
The teenager, ranked 333 in the world at the start of the year, recovered from a shaky start to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. The victory will catapult her to a projected world ranking of 34.
“I was super happy to be playing in Montreal for the first time ever. I just remember feeling nervous, but really taking in the moment as much as I possibly could,” Mboko said.
She admitted the win had surpassed her wildest dreams. “I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament.”
A Run for the Ages
To lift the trophy, Mboko beat four Grand Slam champions in a single week — Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka. Her fearless tennis and stubborn fight drew loud chants of “Allez Vicky!” from the 11,000-strong Montreal crowd.
The men’s Canadian Open final in Toronto between Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov was even briefly disrupted, as the audience roared upon hearing she had won. Shelton later posted: “Congrats on the title Vicky Mboko… Toronto went nuts for you.”
From Slow Start to Glorious Finish
Mboko began nervously, firing 22 unforced errors in the first set as Osaka took control. The second set turned into a battle of nerves with seven breaks of serve, but Mboko found her range and forced a decider.
In the third set, Osaka struck back early, but the home favourite reeled off five straight games to close out the biggest win of her young career.
It’s been a whirlwind season for Mboko, who reached the French Open third round and Wimbledon second round earlier this year. Next up: the US Open on 24 August.
“Although I’m experiencing everything for the first time this year… I just want to enjoy the process as much as possible,” she said. “Not everything will go my way… but I think it builds character.”
Inspired by Legends, Backed by Calm Guidance
Born in the US to Congolese parents who fled unrest, Mboko grew up in Toronto watching Serena and Venus Williams. “That’s where I took a lot of inspiration… now I’m seeing them like right beside me,” she told the WTA.
Her coach, former Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, believes the key is composure. “The US Open is the objective – who knows, maybe she can do something good? We go match by match, hoping for no injury.”
For Osaka, this was another step in her comeback after maternity leave. The Japanese star looked strong early but couldn’t match Mboko’s late surge.
“Obviously it’s not the result you would have wanted today, but it’s been such an incredible week. You know, back in a 1000 final, and like you were celebrating earlier in the week, that you boosted your ranking and were able to make US Open seedings once again. I know it’s tough at times like this, but there must be lots of positives you can take from this week,” Naomi said.
“Yeah, I mean, definitely. I think it’s kind of funny. This morning I was very grateful. I don’t know why my emotions flipped so quickly, but I’m really happy to have played the final. I think Victoria played really well. I completely forgot to congratulate her on the court. Yeah, I mean, she did really amazing,” she admitted.
With Cincinnati next, Osaka is still chasing her rhythm before the US Open. Mboko, meanwhile, is dreaming bigger — and Canada is dreaming with her.
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