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| Canada's new tennis darling Mboko who won the NBO today |
Tennis phenom Victoria Mboko has catapulted from No. 333 nine months ago to No. 25 following her win over Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Mboko had the crowd nervous when she lost the first set, but she powered through her wrist injury and as fans cheered her on, this may have unnerved Osaka, and Mboko used this to her advantage to defeat her in the second and third sets.
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| She gave a shoutout to the fans in the stands |
She got praise from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Billie Jean King among others.
What's not to love about this an amazing fairytale run for Mboko, who was a wildcard entry into the tournament. But now she has been assured a spot in the US Open -- where she has never played before.
Mboko is the youngest of four children, her parents originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The family moved from North Carolina where Mboko was born to Burlington, Ontario, where all four kids learned tennis, with their tennis dad. Two of her siblings played at the college level, but Mboko has gone the furthest.
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| Osaka (right) visibly upset following the match |
She is now the No. 1 Canadian women's tennis player and after winning the National Bank Open, takes home $750,000 in prize money.
Unfortunately Osaka was a bit of a sore loser, not congratulating Mboko on her win. Nevertheless, Osaka has done well this tournament too, getting this far since giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023. She has changed coaches a few times and perhaps is more settled now.
Mboko could play in the Cincinnati Open which started today, or withdraw and focus on the US Open which starts on August 19.
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