Victoria Mboko Stuns Osaka to Clinch Maiden WTA Title at Canadian Open
18-year-old Victoria Mboko delivered one of the most memorable moments in Canadian tennis history by defeating Naomi Osaka in the Canadian Open final, claiming her first-ever WTA title in front of an ecstatic Montreal crowd.
Ranked 333 at the start of the year, the wildcard entrant produced a sensational comeback to overcome the four-time Grand Slam winner 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Her fairytale run included victories over four major champions, cementing her rise as one of the sport’s brightest young stars.
Mboko, who was making her debut appearance at the tournament, admitted she never imagined such a result.
To win here in my home country, in my first Montreal appearance — it’s surreal, she said, overwhelmed with emotion.
The buzz from her victory even caused a brief interruption at the men’s final in Toronto, where fans erupted in celebration mid-match. American Ben Shelton, who eventually won his match against Karen Khachanov, later congratulated Mboko on Instagram, saying, “Toronto went nuts for you.”