Mboko Cinderella Story Taking Canadian Tennis Fans By Storm
Posted on: August 7, 2025, 03:02h.
Last updated on: February 12, 2026, 12:47h.
- 18-year-old Canadian upstart takes on 4-time Grand Slam champ tonight in Montreal
- Osaka still betting favourite
- Mboko will more than double career earnings
It’s a dream final for the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament this evening that no one could have predicted – an upstart 18-year-old Canadian up against one of the greats in the sport, looking to get her career back on track.
Ranked Outside Top 300
Eighteen-year-old Victoria Mboko goes up against Japan’s Naomi Osaka this evening at IGA Stadium in Montreal at 6 p.m. EST.
The Cinderella run by Mboko, ranked No. 85 in the world, has been the story over the past week, especially after she outlasted No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 yesterday before a raucous sellout crowd to advance to the final. Mboko, who has taken out three Grand Slam champions in Montreal, ranked at No. 333 at the start of the year.
Osaka, 27, owns seven singles titles, and is slowly getting back on track after having her first child in 2023, returning in 2024. She’s been a No. 1 in the past, and is a four-time Grand Slam winner. Osaka now works with Tomasz Wiktorowski, after splitting with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, ending their 10-month partnership, and is looking to recapture her top form.
Doubling Career Earnings
In Canada, the Mboko story is touching where baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays are currently at in the categories of “most surprising” and “feel good.” No one expected the Blue Jays to be where they are (first place in the American League East). Both the Jays and Mboko have been a nice summer-time distraction for Canadians.
Sell-Out in Montreal
Fans have been roaring in their support, which a sellout crowd tonight in Montreal will no doubt look to build on. Mboko has captured the hearts of Canadian tennis fans.
Will that provide enough of a home court and home country advantage to propel Mboko to the win?
“I feel like every day I have been thanking [the fans] for how much they have been helping me,” Mboko said after the win over Rybakina. “Obviously playing in front of the home crowd has its advantages. You always have everyone pumping you up as much as they can. It really pulls me through in the tough moments. I feel really blessed to have that kind of support.”
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