In a stunning display of grit and emergent brilliance, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko completed what can only be described as a dream run at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
The Canadian wildcard, who started the year outside the top 300, navigated an extraordinary path to claim her first WTA Tour title with a tense 2-6 6-4 6-1 victory over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Mboko began 2025 ranked at No. 333 and had already surged 248 places to No. 85 before arriving in Montreal. With her title win, she now catapults into the world’s top 25.
Battling injury, nerves
The showpiece actually began in unflattering fashion for Mboko, who looked weak both in form and physicality due to a wrist injury sustained in her semi-final clash.
In the end, though, her crowning achievement was rendered all the more remarkable given a stiff, swollen wrist that was “hard to move”.
Despite dropping the opening set thanks to a plethora of unforced errors and visible nerves, the sheer power of her determination took over thereafter.
Mboko steadied herself in the second, successfully turning the tide before completely dominating the final set with ruthless precision.
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Making home history
The victory sparked euphoria amongst the packed Montreal crowd and etched Mboko’s name into Canadian tennis lore.
Indeed, fans were repeatedly asked to ‘please be quiet during the points’ throughout the match, such was the tension and excitement in the air.
Mboko thus becomes only the third Canadian woman to lift the home title in the Open Era, joining Faye Urban in 1969 and Bianca Andreescu in 2019.
An unforgettable achievement
According to Sky Sports, Mboko admitted that the win had taken her by surprise.
“When I had that winning moment and seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience,” she said.
“I would have never thought something like this would have come so suddenly. It just proves that your dreams are closer than they [seem].”
An emotional Mboko added: “It’s been an incredible week here. Montréal, je vous aime!
“It feels unbelievable right now. I mean, words cannot really describe how today went.”
To win the title, Mboko faced multiple Grand Slam winners in Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Sofia Kenin, and finally Osaka, cementing her reputation as one of the game’s most exciting rising stars.
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Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Vivien Bernardino