Much has been said and written about the 18 year old Victoria Mboko this week in WTA Montreal. Representing Canada, Mboko is from an accomplished tennis family and she’s achieved a remarkable feat, at 18 years old, she’s followed in the footsteps of accomplished Canadians Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez, reaching a high level WTA/Grand Slam final, and doing so as a wild card, a rare feat on the WTA Tour.
How rare? The 18 year old Andreescu achieved it at Indian Wells in 2019. Andreescu beat Angelique Kerber in the final, though she began the tournament at a higher ranking than Mboko. A win over Elina Svitolina was also notable in that tournament.
Mirra Andreeva at age 17 reached this year’s Dubai final, though she wasn’t a wild card and already a top contender. Veteran wild card Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the 2019 WTA Cincinnati final, Kuznetsova beat three top 10 players en route to the final. Wild card Jil Teichmann would do the same in 2021, reaching the Cincinnati final, and in the process, she upset Mboko’s opponent in the Montreal final, Naomi Osaka.
Other teenagers in recent history to reach major WTA finals or win titles include Belinda Bencic (2015 WTA Toronto Champion), Jelena Ostapenko (Doha 2016) and Caroline Wozniacki (2009 WTA Madrid). With Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova also on this list further back in history.
Mboko’s run is made extra special by her sterling performance against an in-form Elena Rybakina, saving a match point and recovering from 3-5 down in the third set. Mboko has never previously reached a WTA final, but beat 3 Grand Slam champions in a week with Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin also falling to her racquet earlier in the tournament.
Time will tell if Mboko will reach a Grand Slam final, but the early returns on her game are amazing, and she has Canadian tennis fans believing they have a new champion to rally behind. From outside the top 300 to start 2025, to inside the top 40 now after dominating the ITF level and moving up to the WTA Tour, Mboko is on track to be a seed in slams by next season. With Naomi Osaka on her own comeback trail, this is one of the most intriguing 1000 level finals in WTA History. Mboko did not win her first WTA Tour level match until Miami this year, but she’s already showing she’s a big time player, full of poise and shotmaking.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
