Victoria Mboko takes first WTA title after a magical week in Montreal
Victoria Mboko entered the Canadian Open as a wild card. She finished as the champion.
The 18-year-old staged her second straight incredible comeback to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Thursday night’s final and claim her first WTA title.
Osaka was the fourth former Grand Slam champion that Mboko had to go through en route to hoisting the trophy. She is the second youngest player to do that in one tournament in the Open Era, after only Serena Williams at the 1999 U.S. Open. Mboko had also come back from a set down against Elena Rybakina in the semifinals after defeating Sofia Kenin and top seed Coco Gauff earlier in the tournament.
Victoria Mboko celebrates winning championship point at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal on August 7, 2025 (Pascal Ratthe/Tennis Canada) 
Victoria Mboko celebrates after winning the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal (Tennis Canada/Mathieu Belanger) 
Victoria Mboko celebrates after winning the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal on August 7, 2025 (Pascal Ratthe/Tennis Canada) 
Victoria Mboko celebrates with the ball kids after winning the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal on August 7, 2025 (Sarah-Jade Champagne/Tennis Canada) 
Victoria Mboko celebrates with the ball kids after winning the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal on August 7, 2025 (Amelie Caron/Tennis Canada)
Mboko certainly rose to the challenge that was presented to her in the final, thrilling the Canadian fans cheering her on in Montreal. After dropping the opening set, she showed her resilience by breaking Osaka’s serve in the opening game of the second set. It was the first of four service breaks for Mboko in the set. All told, Mboko converted eight of nine break points in the match.
Having forced a third set, Mboko carried the momentum into the final frame while Osaka appeared discouraged. Up 5-1, Mboko showed her drive when she chased down a ball that Osaka had lightly volleyed over the net, expecting her to be unable to get to it. Just a few minutes later, Mboko was tossing her racket and falling to her knees in celebration after a most memorable week.
“It’s been an incredible week here in Montreal,” Mboko said at the trophy presentation. “I also want to thank Naomi for an incredible match. I’ve always looked up to her when I was really little, so it’s always great to play with an amazing player like you.”
Mboko is just the third Canadian woman to win the Canadian Open in the Open Era after Faye Urban in 1969 and Bianca Andreescu in 2019. She is the first Canadian to achieve that triumph in Montreal. Mboko is just the third wild card to win a WTA 1000 title since that designation was introduced in 2009, following Maria Sharapova at Cincinnati in 2011 and Andreescu at Indian Wells in 2019.
After starting the year ranked 333rd and entering the Montreal tournament at No. 85, Mboko will rise 61 spots to No. 24, meaning that she will be seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam when the U.S. Open gets underway later this month.
