Canada’s Victoria Mboko is stealing the spotlight at the National Bank Open in Montreal, continuing her sensational breakthrough with a commanding straight-sets victory over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The 18-year-old delighted a passionate home crowd, winning 6-4, 6-2 to secure her first-ever appearance in a WTA Tour semi-final.
Mboko’s fairy tale week has quickly become one of the standout stories in tennis. Just two days ago, she stunned top seed Coco Gauff with a fearless display, dispatching the American star in straight sets in just over an hour. Now, with another emphatic performance, she has become the first Canadian to reach the semi-finals of this WTA 1000 event since Bianca Andreescu’s memorable title run in 2019.
The young Canadian didn’t have it all her way in the early stages against Bouzas Maneiro. Nerves and unforced errors crept into her game, but once she found her rhythm and secured a crucial break in the first set, her confidence soared. In the second set, Mboko took full control, breaking her opponent’s serve twice and closing out the match to a raucous ovation from the Montreal faithful.
Mboko’s meteoric rise has been one of the biggest talking points of the 2025 tennis season. She began the year ranked outside the world’s top 300 but has rapidly climbed to a career-high No. 85, with projections now placing her inside the top 55. After a dominant start to the season on the ITF circuit, where she compiled a stunning 22-match winning streak and captured five titles, Mboko has seamlessly transitioned to the sport’s elite level.
Her rise to prominence continued with a third-round appearance at the French Open after qualifying for her first Grand Slam main draw. She then caused another upset by defeating 25th seed Magdalena Frech in the opening round at Wimbledon. Mboko’s ascent has been built on strong foundations, having won consecutive titles at the ITF W25 tournament in Saskatoon in 2022 and 2023.
Speaking after her quarter-final win, Mboko reflected on her journey and the support she’s received. “Playing in Canada is always special,” she said. “This is home. I train here, my family is here, and the fans have been incredible. This whole experience has been surreal, and I’m beyond grateful.”
The teenager’s next opponent will be Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and ninth seed in Montreal. Rybakina advanced after Marta Kostyuk was forced to retire due to an arm injury while trailing 6-1, 2-1 in their quarter-final clash. Despite converting just three of 10 break points, Rybakina’s dominance was evident before the match was cut short after 54 minutes.
As the tournament heats up, other quarter-final clashes are set to determine the final line-up. Madison Keys, seeded sixth and the highest-ranked player left in the draw, will face Clara Tauson. Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka is preparing for a showdown against tenth seed Elina Svitolina. The final is scheduled for Thursday.
With her fearless performances and undeniable talent, Victoria Mboko has become the face of Canada’s next tennis generation. Fans can follow her inspiring run live on Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports+, and stream matches on NOW as the countdown to the US Open, beginning August 24, intensifies.
