It was written in the stars, from being an unknown talent to now a shining star, Victoria Mboko was crowned Champion of the National Bank Open in Montreal after defeating Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The decisive moment came in the third set when Mboko secured a 3-1 lead after saving four crucial break points in the fourth game.
As Osaka sent a shot into the net on match point, the teenager dropped to her knees in celebration before rushing to hug her family and coaches in the courtside box.
The 18-year-old becomes the third Canadian to win a title at home alongside Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019). Her first WTA Tour title moves her ranking up from 85th to 25th in the World.
Addressing an overexcited crowd after her match that the umpire had to keep asking them to “please be quiet”.
“When I had that winning moment and seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience,” said Mboko after her stunning win.
“I would have never thought something like this would have come so suddenly. It just proves that your dreams are closer than they seem. It’s been an incredible week here. Montreal, je vous aime!”
Mboko started 2025 by winning four consecutive ITF World Tennis Tour events in January and February before winning a fifth title in March. She is still in second place on the ITF World Tennis Tour for most women’s singles titles won this year.
Mboko worked her magic, delivering an outstanding performance in all her matches defeating four major champions Coco Gauff in straight sets as well as toppling Sofia Kenin, Rybakina and then Osaka in the final.
“It feels unbelievable right now. I mean, words cannot really describe how today went.
“There’s some moments where it was aggravating me a lot, but I feel like it was the final. I just kept saying to myself, ‘You have one more to go’.”
What’s next for Mboko, is the US Open tournament that will start on August 24 until September 7. This will be her first time take part “I’ll be playing it for the first time, so there’s a lot of new beginnings for me.”
