Victoria Mboko completed the best two weeks of her career by winning her first WTA Tour-level title at the National Bank Open in Montreal. Mboko made history, beating four Grand Slam champions, including top seed Coco Gauff in the third and Naomi Osaka in Thursday’s final.
Mboko’s maiden WTA title will propel her into the Top 30 of the WTA rankings for the first time. Consequently, she will overtake countrywoman Leylah Fernandez to become Canada’s new tennis No. 1. Last month, Canada lost two of its prized tennis assets to retirement, with ATP doubles specialist Vasek Pospisil and WTA star Eugenie Bouchard completing their final bouts in the tournament. And the country’s current most recognized tennis name, Bianca Andreescu, withdrew before her second-round matchafter the injury curse struck again for the umpteenth time.
Victoria Mboko climbs to a new career-high ranking of No. 25 after historic Montreal win
But the dust hasn’t settled, and a new story has cracked open with the emergence of Mboko. She stepped up and filled the void. The talented teenager had swept five titles on the ITF circuit this season but still had more promise than proof competing at the Tour level, where the standard of competition is markedly higher.
Yet Mboko was unfazed by the competition and the stage, and as a wild card entrant, was playing with house money. Her most famous quote from the tournament will undoubtedly be that one-liner she pulled off after her sensational three-set win over Rybakina.
Quizzed if she believed she could win the match, Mboko nonchalantly responded, “Anything can happen.”
Mboko’s feat in downing four Major champions en route to the title makes her the second-youngest teenager to do it in the Open Era since Serena Williams in 1999. Tennis can be so unforgiving when it comes to prophecies, and it is too early to conclusively predict what Mboko will become. However, for now, she can cherish the moment as Canada’s top-ranked tennis player. She is up to 25th in the live rankings and can guarantee herself a seeding spot at the 2025 US Open.
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
