Canadian tennis player making history at Montreal’s National Bank Open

At just 18 years old, Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko is making history in Montreal at the National Bank Open.

On Monday night, Mboko advanced to the semi-final at IGA stadium. This win came after defeating the number one seed and world number two-ranked Coco Gauff on Saturday. 

“She’s aggressive, she’s powerful, she’s talented and she’s also the crowd’s favorite, so that really plays in her favour,” said Mathilde Dupré-L’Allier, a tournament ball girl and Montreal tennis player. “Seeing somebody who’s almost the same age as me and who’s doing such great things at this age is really incredible.”

Philippe Legault, also a tournament ball boy and Montreal tennis player, said, “I think she’s aggressive, she hits hard, deep shots, and she can surprise her opponents very well.”

Kalyn Dobrev, another tournament ball boy and Montreal tennis player, added, “I’ve seen her grow a little bit through tournaments, through grand slams. She was doing better each time, and I think every Canadian tennis player is just proud of her.”

While Valérie Tétreault, the tournament director of the National Bank Open, said, “What we’ve been most impressed with is probably her mental strength. The fact that she’s so calm, no matter what the situation is, she’s playing those big points with a lot of courage as well.”

Born in North Carolina, Mboko moved to Toronto as a young child and, in a relatively short period of time, has developed into one of the best tennis players in the world. Earlier this year, the teen sensation was ranked outside of the top 300 and has since climbed to number 85. 

“I think it’s fantastic that a teenager has gotten to this point. I’m not a big tennis fan, but I’m interested to see how she does,” said Jen McGrath, a Kingston, Ontario resident.

Mario Boccarossa, a Detroit, Michigan resident, said, “I think it’s fantastic for the country of Canada, and knowing that she comes from the Toronto area. I’m visiting here in Montreal and happened to watch her beat the American the other night as well, it’s been going on all week.”

Dupré-L’Allier added, “I remember when I was a little girl seeing girls like Eugenie Bouchard and really looking up to them, and I think that Victoria Mboko can do the same for other little girls.”

Mboko is the youngest woman to reach the Canadian semis since Belinda Bencic’s 2015 win in Toronto.

The rising star will face the number nine seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Wednesday evening on centre court in the semi-final match. The winner advances to the tournament final on Thursday. 

“It gave me chills, really. Watching her during this whole tournament. I’m still hoping that she can keep it going, that she gets to play the final,” said Tétreault.

Dobrev adds, “With this crowd it’s just amazing, like looking at the matches, it’s a great spirit all over the place, and hopefully she will win the tournament, but she will need to fight for it.”