Canadian Open: Teenager Victoria Mboko stuns four Grand Slam champions to claim first WTA title

18 year-old wildcard Victoria Mboko came from a set down to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in front of 11,000 adoring home fans in the Canadian Open final, crowning a perfect two weeks for the rising star who had already overcome three other major winners en route to the final.

The win takes the teenager to 24th in the world having started the year outside the top 300, underlining her rapid growth since the start of the season. With the US Open starting in just a couple of weeks, Mboko will be full of confidence, having shown that she can conquer some of the biggest names on tour.

The home favourite started slowly against the former world number one, in what had become a feature of her game over the last fortnight, having dropped the opening set 1-6 in two of her previous round matches. Consistency was clearly proving hard to come by as Mboko hit 22 unforced errors in the opening set, allowing Osaka to breeze through 6-2 in 38 minutes.

A break apiece at the start of the final set suggested a tense and nervy conclusion

Moving into the second set and the crowd were treated to a crazy, up and down 10 games, with seven breaks of serve in total. Their new local star took charge, producing an incredible return game to extend her lead in the set to 5-2 and earn the chance to take the final to a deciding set.

However, a moment of madness from the teenager saw her succumb to three double faults, gifting Osaka a break of serve and a way back into the second set. Regaining composure in her next service game was pivotal for the young star, and she did just that to claim the second set 6-4 – much to the delight of the rowdy home support.

A break apiece at the start of the final set suggested a tense and nervy conclusion, but Osaka began to slow. Back in 2021 she took a break from the sport, opening up about her struggles with anxiety and depression but insists, despite feeling “ashamed” for stepping away from tennis, that she is back stronger. Cracks started to appear in her game and the Canadian teenager capitalised to full effect, winning the next five games to seal a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory. It was a win celebrated with such delight by all in Toronto that the men’s final between Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov, played simultaneously, had to be momentarily halted after the crowd learned Mboko had won.

Mboko’s appearance in New York will spark waves of excitement within the tennis community

The new world number 24 will enter the final Grand Slam of the year with a spring in her step, having defeated Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina – all Grand Slam winners – before downing Osaka. Yet she insists she must stay grounded and manage expectations, stating that she “just wants to enjoy the process as much as possible”.

Nevertheless, Mboko’s upcoming appearance in New York will spark waves of excitement within the tennis community. We all watch eagerly to see what’s next for this exciting young talent.