The 18-year-old sensation has booked her place in the final of the National Bank Open after staging a remarkable comeback against world No. 9 and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. In front of a roaring Montreal crowd, Mboko triumphed 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), continuing a dream run that has captivated the nation and shaken up the women’s tennis world.
Overwhelmed by emotion after Rybakina’s final shot sailed long, Mboko dropped her face into her hands as fans erupted in celebration. “Incredible match, thank you to everyone for supporting me,” she told the crowd in French. “It was tough, but anything can happen.”
Mboko’s journey to the final has been nothing short of magical. Ranked outside the world’s top 300 at the start of 2025, she is now projected to climb into the top 35 — and could rise even higher with one more win on home soil.
Battling the Odds and the Pain
Her semi-final match was a two-hour and 46-minute battle of nerves, physical grit, and sheer determination — the longest match of her young WTA career. It nearly slipped from her grasp when Rybakina held match point late in the third set. But Mboko, who suffered a wrist injury after a fall early in the decider, summoned the courage to fight back and force a tiebreak.
“I had everyone supporting me and pushing me through,” she said in her on-court interview. “Without you guys, I don’t think I would have been able to pull this through.”
The crowd’s energy played a key role, with chants of “Allez Vicky” echoing across IGA Stadium and a sea of Canadian flags waving in support. Mboko is now the fourth Canadian woman to reach the final at this event, following in the footsteps of legends like Bianca Andreescu, who last won the title in 2019.
Rising Above Grand Slam Champions
What makes Mboko’s run even more historic is her record against elite opposition. She is the first Canadian in the Open Era to defeat three former women’s Grand Slam champions in a single WTA event. This week alone, she has beaten world No. 2 Coco Gauff, former U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens, and now Rybakina — the same player who defeated her just two weeks ago at the D.C. Open.
That loss now seems like a distant memory.
After dropping the opening set 1-6 on Wednesday, Mboko found her rhythm in the second, trading power with Rybakina and holding her nerve at critical moments. In the third set, she fended off match point at 4-5, broke Rybakina’s serve, and then, after a brief stumble, broke again to force the tiebreak.
With the match on a knife’s edge, Mboko fired a forehand winner down the line for a 5-4 lead, then watched Rybakina’s backhand float wide, sealing one of the biggest wins of her career.
Despite 11 double faults and a second-serve win rate of just 35%, Mboko’s mental toughness and court awareness proved decisive. Her victory was a triumph of resilience over statistics.
Clash of Generations: Mboko vs. Osaka
Awaiting Mboko in the final is none other than Naomi Osaka — a four-time Grand Slam champion who defeated Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-2, 7-6(7) in the day’s other semi-final.
Osaka, unseeded as she continues her return from maternity leave, has shown flashes of her old brilliance throughout the tournament. Now, she stands between Mboko and a fairytale ending in Montreal.
The final promises to be a generational showdown: Osaka, the former world No. 1 and global icon, versus Mboko, the homegrown talent with a fearless game and a bright future.
A New Canadian Icon in the Making
Mboko’s breakout season began with a 22-match unbeaten streak on the ITF circuit, followed by a third-round finish at the French Open and a first-round upset of a seeded player at Wimbledon. Now 52-9 for the year, including 26 wins against higher-ranked opponents, she’s proven she belongs among the game’s elite.
Her rise also comes at a time when Canadian tennis needed a new hero. With Eugenie Bouchard announcing her retirement and other stars battling injuries, Mboko has stepped into the spotlight with confidence and poise beyond her years.
What started as a hopeful run has become a defining moment. With a nation behind her and history within reach, Victoria Mboko now has the chance to lift her first WTA 1000 title — against one of the sport’s biggest names.
Win or lose, one thing is clear: the future of Canadian tennis has arrived.
