Historic Triumph for the 18-Year-Old Canadian
Victoria Mboko’s rise from a hopeful teenager to Canadian tennis history-maker reached a new peak Thursday night as the 18-year-old defeated her childhood idol, Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to claim the Canadian Open title in Montreal.
It was the first WTA final of Mboko’s career, and she made it count, becoming just the second-lowest-ranked player to win a WTA 1000 event since the format began in 1990. Ranked No. 85 coming into the tournament, Mboko will leap to No. 25 in Monday’s rankings and overtake Leylah Fernandez as Canada’s new No. 1.
Facing Her Childhood Idol
For the teenager, the match was more than just a career breakthrough. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, had been one of her inspirations growing up.
“I’ve always looked up to her when I was really little, so it’s always great to play with such an amazing player like you,” Mboko said during the trophy ceremony.
A Comeback Victory
The match began in Osaka’s favour, the 27-year-old showing flashes of her experience and precision to take the first set 6-2. But Mboko, who was playing with a wrist brace after an injury in the semifinals, raised her intensity in the second set, breaking Osaka four times in a rollercoaster frame.
From there, the Canadian surged. She broke Osaka at love to start the deciding set, and despite some nervy moments, reeled off five of the last six games. A backhand error from Osaka on match point sent the centre-court crowd of more than 11,000 into raptures, many chanting “Allez Vicky” as Mboko dropped to the court in disbelief.
Beating Four Grand Slam Champions in One Week
The victory was the culmination of a stunning week in which Mboko beat four Grand Slam champions — Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and finally Osaka. She is the youngest player to do so since Serena Williams in 1999, and the first since Wimbledon 2023, when Ons Jabeur and Elina Svitolina both managed it.
Osaka’s Return to the Finals
Osaka, contesting her first final since 2022 after returning from maternity leave in early 2024, later admitted she had struggled to keep up with Mboko’s relentlessness.
“I think Victoria played really well… she did really amazing,” said Osaka, who also acknowledged forgetting to congratulate the teenager during the trophy ceremony.
A Historic Win for Canadian Tennis
Mboko also made history as only the third Canadian woman to win the Canadian Open, joining Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019). She is the first to lift the trophy in Montreal.
“It just proves your dreams are closer than you think,” Mboko said. “I couldn’t have imagined a better ending to this week.”
Looking Ahead to the US Open
The teenager will skip next week’s Cincinnati Open to rest her wrist before heading to New York for what will now be a highly anticipated US Open debut as a seeded player.
Yash Desai is a renowned journalist with over 10+ years of experience covering sports around the world. He began his career as a News Reporter in Delhi, India, and got an opportunity to cover several World events, including the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Games. He often felt that women’s sports are sidelined and given step-motherly treatment by the mainstream media. To bridge this gap and to build an equal playing field, Yash co-founded FemaleInSports and is currently working as a Lead Editor here.
