In a storybook finish on home soil, 18-year-old wildcard Victoria Mboko captured her first-ever WTA title—also her first WTA 1000 crown—by defeating former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, at a packed IGA Stadium.
Mboko recovered from a shaky start, shrugging off a wrist injury to mount one of the most remarkable runs in recent memory. She toppled four Grand Slam champions—Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Osaka—becoming just the second-youngest woman in the Open Era to defeat four major winners in a single tournament, behind Serena Williams in 1999.
Before the match, Mboko received medical clearance to play following a fall and injured wrist in the semifinals. She embraced the moment after the final point—dropping to her knees, overwhelmed by emotion amid a thunderous home crowd
The win catapulted Mboko from world No. 85 to inside the Top 25, projected as high as No. 24—a meteoric rise for the Canadian rising star. She also etched her name in history as the first Canadian woman to win the Montreal WTA 1000 event since Bianca Andreescu in 2019, and only the third ever after Faye Urban and Andreescu.
With poise beyond her years, Mboko’s breakthrough in Montreal marks the launch of a compelling new chapter in women’s tennis. The national celebration and global attention are sure to follow her as she heads into the US Open with momentum and belief.
