Eighteen-year-old Victoria Mboko didn’t just show up in Montreal, she took over with a stunning win over Naomi Osaka.
The Canadian teen made tennis history on Thursday, rallying from a set down to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in a stunning 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback win to claim her first WTA title. And this wasn’t just any title, Mboko became the first woman to win her maiden tour-level title at a WTA 1000 event since the format was introduced in 2009.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, she also became the second-youngest player in the Open Era to knock off four Grand Slam champions in a single tournament.
Let’s take a look at that Mboko’s historic run:• 2nd Round: beat No. 23 seed Sofia Kenin (6-2, 6-3)• 4th Round: beat No. 1 seed Coco Gauff (6-1, 6-4)• Semifinal: beat No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina (1-6, 7-5, 7-6 [4])• Final: beat Naomi Osaka (2-6, 6-4, 6-1)
For the stats, it looks like the world of tennis has a new superstar, stepping into the spotlight.
At first, it looked like Osaka would run away with the final. But Mboko, despite a shaky start and a wrist tweak from her grueling semifinal, reset mentally and flipped the script in the second set. Once she found her rhythm, she used a combination of defensive grit and bold shot-making to take control and the crowd was all in.
By the final set, Osaka couldn’t keep pace. With every winner and fist pump, Mboko had the fans on their feet and a dream title within her grasp.
So just who is Victoria Mboko? Well, the teen was born in 2006 in Toronto to Congolese parents. Mboko is currently ranked No. 85 in the world. She began playing tennis at age 4, and by 12, she was already competing internationally.
A former junior doubles finalist at Wimbledon, she’s long been on Canada’s radar as one to watch, but now, the whole world knows her name.
Photo Credit: Victoria Mboko Instagram
