Victoria Mboko stunned the tennis world in Montreal by capturing her first WTA Tour title at the National Bank Open, defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final. The 18-year-old’s victory will see her ranking leap from world No. 85 to No. 25, an extraordinary climb for a player who began 2025 outside the top 300. Her triumph also makes her only the third Canadian woman in the Open Era, after Faye Urban in 1969 and Bianca Andreescu in 2019, to win the nation’s premier tennis event.
Mboko’s path to glory was far from straightforward. In her semi-final against Elena Rybakina, she suffered a heavy fall that left her wrist swollen and stiff. On the morning of the final, she underwent X-rays and an MRI before doctors cleared her to play. Even so, she stepped onto the court visibly nursing the injury, shaking her wrist between points. After losing the first set to Osaka, Mboko found her rhythm in the second and delivered a decisive blow early in the third, saving four break points to hold for a 3-1 lead before sealing the match.
The teenager’s dream week included victories over four major champions: Sofia Kenin, top seed Coco Gauff, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and Osaka. The final was a tense battle featuring 13 breaks of serve across 25 games, with Mboko converting eight of her nine break chances. Her resilience and composure in key moments set her apart, especially given her physical limitations.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Congolese parents and raised in Toronto, Mboko has been on a rapid rise. She started the season by dominating the ITF World Tennis Tour, winning four consecutive titles in January and February and adding another in March, ranking second for the most singles titles on the circuit this year. She announced herself on the Grand Slam stage by reaching the third round of the French Open in her debut main draw, then upsetting 25th seed Magdalena Frech in the opening round at Wimbledon. She is coached by Nathalie Tauziat, the former world No. 3 and 1998 Wimbledon finalist.
The atmosphere in Montreal was electric, with the crowd roaring Mboko on and prompting repeated calls from the umpire for silence during points. When Osaka’s final shot hit the net, the stands erupted. Mboko dropped to her knees before running to embrace her family and coaches. “When I saw everyone stand and cheer, it was surreal,” she said. “I never imagined this could happen so soon. It shows your dreams are closer than you think. Montreal, je vous aime.”
For Osaka, the loss still marked a positive milestone. It was her best showing at a WTA 1000 since reaching the Miami Open final in 2022. Following a 15-month break from the tour and the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023, she has been steadily rebuilding her form and competitiveness.
While Mboko was lifting the trophy in Montreal, Ben Shelton claimed the men’s National Bank Open title in Toronto, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in a tightly contested match. The encounter was interrupted by a malfunction in the electronic line-calling system and paused again when Canadian fans celebrated news of Mboko’s win. Shelton, 22, became the first American man to win the Toronto Masters 1000 since Andy Roddick in 2003 and will climb to a career-high world No. 6.
