In a breathtaking final at the 2025 Canadian Open (National Bank Open), 18‑year‑old Victoria Mboko emerged victorious against four‑time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, overcoming a shaky start to win 2‑6, 6‑4, 6‑1. It was Mboko’s first WTA Tour title and what a remarkable way to achieve it, on home soil in Montreal.
Victoria Mboko’s journey through the tournament was nothing short of extraordinary. Beginning as a wildcard ranked No. 85, she defeated not one but four Grand Slam champions; Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina (saving a match point), and finally Osaka. No Canadian in the Open Era had ever accomplished that feat in a single event before her.
The final began with Osaka’s powerful game and composure carrying her to a commanding first-set win. But Victoria Mboko grittily fighting through a taped‑up wrist injury rallied in the second, breaking Osaka’s serve four times to claim the set. In the decider, after a dramatic deuce‑filled game in which Victoria Mboko saved four break points, she seized momentum and surged ahead to close out the match in commanding fashion.
Set-by-Set Breakdown
First Set: Osaka in Command (6–2)
- Osaka asserted dominance early, breaking Mboko immediately, capitalizing on the Canadian’s nerves and service errors including two double faults in her opening game.
- Osaka cruised through, never facing a break point and leveraging 22 unforced errors from Mboko to wrap up the set comfortably.
Second Set: Mboko Fights Back (6–4)
- A wild back-and-forth saw 25 games that featured 13 service breaks, underlining the unpredictability of the set.
- Mboko steadied her serve to go up 5–2, but Osaka clawed back to 5–4, testing the Canadian’s composure.
- Despite more serving nerves (Mboko opened with her 12th double fault of the match), she held firm. The set ended when Osaka’s forehand sailed long.
Third Set: Victoria Mboko Seals the Comeback (6–1)
- The pivotal fourth game turned the tide: Mboko dug deep from love–30, saving four break points through six hard-fought deuces, ending it emphatically with a drop-shot winner to take a 3–1 lead.
- Energized by the crowd, she held serve with an ace and followed up by breaking Osaka again when a backhand drifted into the net then celebrated on her knees as the crowd erupted.
Historically, Mboko became only the third Canadian woman to win the Canadian Open in the Open Era, joining Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019). Her triumph also made her the lowest‑ranked champion in the tournament’s history and the second‑lowest in any WTA 1000 event standing at No. 85, just behind Kim Clijsters, who won Indian Wells in 2005 ranked No. 133.
Conclusion
This victory isn’t just a milestone, it’s a statement. Fueled by an electrified home crowd, Mboko has announced herself not only as Canada’s next tennis star but also as a formidable contender on the global stage.
