Victoria Mboko’s fairy tale has a happy ending: triumph in the Canadian Open in Montreal

A dream come true: Canada’s Victoria Mboko, 19 years old next August 26, won the most important tournament in the country where she grew up, the Canadian Open, WTA 1000 category, on the concrete in Montreal, entering the main draw thanks to a wild card. In the final, she beat Japan’s former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka with a score of 2-6 6-4 6-1 in just over two hours of play.

The first set was dominated by Naomi, who flew to 3-0 with a break in the second game and also had three balls for 4-0, two of which were consecutive, she missed but on 5-2 she made a second break that obviously earned her the first partial. The second set is a festival of breaks: five in the first five games, three in favor of Mboko who goes to 4-2 and then also to 5-2 with a second break that she immediately returns but at 5-4 she does not tremble and extends the match.

Even at the beginning of the decisive partial there are three breaks in the first three games, on 2-1 in his favor Mboko saves four balls of yet another counterbreak, the first two consecutive. This is the decisive turning point: two more breaks and a service game held on the advantages but without break balls give Mboko a triumph unthinkable on the eve of the tournament.

Mboko is in her first tournament win on the major circuit and is the first home favorite to win the Canadian Open since 2019, when Bianca Andreescu succeeded in Toronto. Victoria will move up in the next WTA rankings from No. 85 to No. 25, just behind Osaka, who rises from 49 to 24 and remains on a fast of tournament wins that lasts since her triumph in her fourth career Slam, the Australian Open in 2021.