Canada’s Victoria Mboko defeats Naomi Osaka to win National Bank Open title

Against all odds, Victoria Mboko has made Canadian tennis history.

The 18-year-old Toronto product played through a wrist injury and beat Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday in the final of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers before another sellout crowd at IGA Stadium.

Mboko is the first Canadian in history to win an NBO singles title in Montreal. She’s just the third Canadian champ overall of the WTA Tour 1000 event in the Open era (since 1968).

The same teenager was playing at a tiny event in Croatia one year ago and lost in the first round to a player currently not even in the top 800. 

This week, Mboko knocked off four Grand Slam champions, capped by a win over a four-time Grand Slam winner in the final. She’ll be 25th in the rankings Friday after being outside the top 300 to start 2025 and 85th to start this tournament.

“Honestly, I would tell myself to never stop believing,” Mboko told Sportsnet’s Danielle Michaud on court when asked what she would tell her younger self if she knew this moment would come.

“When I was younger, these kind of achievements seemed so far away. I would have never known it would come so close. To do something like this and to tell my younger self just to keep training, keep believing in yourself. Oh my God, I’m getting so emotional right now.”

Mboko, who is 53-9 on the year, earns $752,275 for the win. She didn’t have $400,000 in earnings for 2025 prior to this tournament, which was just her seventh WTA Tour main draw.

Mboko was playing with her right wrist taped up after she suffered an injury while falling early in the third set of a wild, final-set tiebreak win over 2022 Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina on Tuesday.

Sportsnet’s Danielle Michaud reported before the final that Mboko remained at the tournament site until the wee hours of the morning to get treatment. She then woke up with the wrist in pain and swollen. Mboko opted to go for an MRI, which showed no structural damage, clearing her to play.

Just like the previous night, Mboko rallied after a one-sided loss in the first set.

After three breaks to open the third set (including one game where a frustrated Osaka hit a ball into the stands), Mboko finally held serve to take a 3-1 lead in a game that featured six deuces. The Canadian won it with a sweet drop shot, bringing the crowd to its feet. “Vicky, Vicky, Vicky” chants rang out after the beautiful touch.

Osaka, trying for her first title since 2021, didn’t have any answers after that. The crowd just got louder, and the momentum built until Mboko put it away.

Mboko somehow ran down a ball in the final game for one game, to the disbelief of Osaka, who thought it had bounced twice. That made the score 40-30, and Osaka didn’t win another point.

After a rough first set, Mboko hit a better level, breaking Osaka in her first four service games of the second set. But serving for the set, the wrist appeared to bother her. Mboko had three double-faults and was shaking her wrist after several points in what was an easy Osaka break. Mboko’s serve speed also went way down during the game.

Mboko’s serve was even less powerful in her next service game, going as low as 117 km/h. But Osaka was wobbly with groundstrokes, and Mboko got the hold and set on an unforced error by her opponent, drawing a roar from the crowd.

It was just the third NBO women’s final to feature two unseeded players, and the first since 1979. It was also the first WTA 1000 final to have two players outside the top 40 since the format’s introduction in 2009.

Just like in the semifinals, Mboko was shaky to start. She was way long on second serve on a break point for Osaka, putting the Canadian in an early 2-0 hole.

The crowd did its part to try to give Mboko a boost, with “Allez Vicky” and “Let’s go Vicky” yelled regularly. One boisterous group even bellowed “Yeah” when Osaka double-faulted in the first game.

But the crowd didn’t bother a clinical Osaka one bit. After Mboko got the fans out of their seats by saving three break points and winning her first service game to cut the deficit to 3-1, Osaka served to love to restore her comfortable edge.

Osaka finished the first set with her second break, as Mboko lost control of her forehand three times to give her opponent a relatively easy game. Osaka, meanwhile, was dominant with serve in the first set (70 per cent of first serves in, 73.9 per cent of first-serve points won)

Meanwhile, organizers announced their third Mboko sellout of the week about an hour before the final. The crowd included Quebec star athletes Lu Dort and Marie-Philip Poulin.

“You start the event and you never know what are going to be the storylines. And obviously, it’s been all about Vicky Mboko,” NBO Montreal tournament director Valerie Tetreault said before the match.

“I think we feel Montreal, Quebec and even across the country, everybody’s following what’s happening at this tournament and is inspired by this young woman, only 18 years of age, who keeps surprising us by her composure, her maturity, her level of play … and the self-belief that she has.”

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Fans celebrate Mboko’s breakthrough win

From the moment the gates opened at IGA Stadium, the energy surrounding Mboko was impossible to ignore. Anticipation built throughout the day, and when the match ended with a Canadian champion, the crowd’s reaction was a mixture of celebration and disbelief.

“For a kid of 18 years old, that’s crazy. She was humble, she was on the court, and she was right there for all the people of Montreal,” said one fan.

Many in attendance had been following Mboko’s breakout season closely and understood just how far she’d come.

“I’m a very huge fan of tennis. I’m a big fan of Vicky. I’ve been following her from the beginning of the year,” said one male fan.

“I’m projecting that Vicky is going to be a top ten player by the end of the year,” he added.

For others, the moment was bigger than numbers.

“We need Canadian women to win this tournament. We actually won this time around since 2019. I’m happy right now,” said another fan.

“That was insane. I didn’t know she would actually be making it straight to the finals,” he added. “But now she actually beat some of the best players in the world. That’s insane.”

Mboko’s resilience stood out for many.

“I would say gutsy. Gutsy. Because she had trouble with her serves, and she was able to come back and make great shots,” said one man.

The overall experience left a strong impression on those in the stands. Several fans called the atmosphere “beautiful,” “so big,” and “the best I have ever seen.”

“She’s so determined. She just never gave up,” said one man. “She wears her opponents down. They had to make mistakes because they wanted to try harder. Brilliant.”

“It’s really exciting to have a young athlete like this in Canada. And it was so much fun,” said one woman.

“It’s the first time a Canadian win at Montreal, I think, so it’s very good,” said another man.

“I feel really great. I enjoy the game and I’m glad Vicky won,” said a male fan. “She played a great game and won her first championship.”

“I’m super happy. It’s such a good success for Quebec and the tennis world, so i’m super happy. Go Vicky!” said a woman. “She’s just going to develop more and more and be the best tennis player ever. Super good.”

For first-time tennis spectators, the night was unforgettable.

“That’s my first game of tennis, so it was a crazy experience,” said one man.

As fans made their way out of the stadium, many were still repeating the same word: “Incredible.”

“I think it’s the best match I ever see. It’s incredible,” said one man.

“Just amazing. It’s a magical moment,” said another.

“I think it’s amazing for Canadian tennis, Canadian women’s tennis,” said one male fan. “And I think a lot of people are going to look up to her.”