Unseeded Canadian teen Mboko upsets top-seeded Gauff in Montreal tournament
In a shocking turn of events at the 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal, the 18-year-old wildcard Victoria Mboko upset the reigning French Open champion and world No. 2, Coco Gauff, in the fourth round. Mboko's victory, marked by a score of 6-1, 6-4, was her first-ever win against a top 10 player [1][2][3].
The match began with Gauff losing the first set to Mboko in just 25 minutes. Gauff's struggles continued as she hit a service return long, a forehand into the net, and flew a volley wide, giving Mboko game points. Despite this, Gauff had a total of 37 double faults throughout her first two matches [4].
Mboko, however, was not without her own challenges. She saved all four break points she faced during the match. In the ninth game, Mboko leveled the score at 30-30 with a blistering backhand, setting the stage for an exciting finish.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, also had a challenging match against Dayana Yastremska. Rybakina, who had nine double faults during the match, bore down after the first set and broke Yastremska twice to take the second set. However, Yastremska took advantage of Rybakina's early serving woes to break back and win the first set. Rybakina eventually sealed the match on her fourth match point, winning with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 [5].
In the next round, Rybakina will face another Ukrainian, Marta Kostyuk, who came from behind to beat American McCartney Kessler 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 [6]. Meanwhile, Mboko will play either Zhu Lin or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the next round.
Zhu Lin, once ranked as high as number 31 in the world, has dropped to 493rd due to missing the last five months of 2024 and another three months in 2025 with an elbow injury [7].
As the tournament progresses, the tennis world eagerly awaits to see if Mboko can continue her Cinderella run and potentially challenge for the title.
[1] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61162647 [2] https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/mboko-stuns-gauff-reach-quarter-finals-canadian-open-2025-08-08/ [3] https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/34363366/victoria-mboko-upsets-coco-gauff-canadian-open-fourth-round [4] https://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/articles/267681/2025/08/08/gauff-struggles-with-double-faults-in-canadian-open-fourth-round-loss-to-mboko [5] https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/2025/08/08/rybakina-yastremska-canadian-open-round-of-16 [6] https://www.wta.com/tournaments/2025/canadian-open/singles/round/16/kostyuk-defeats-kessler-in-three-sets [7] https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2025/08/zhu-lin-elbow-injury-rankings-drop/12328558/
Tennis fans are excited to see if Mboko can maintain her impressive form after her upset of Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the 2025 Canadian Open, and potentially compete for the title. Mboko's victory marked her first-ever win against a top 10 player and sparked a discussion about her potential in the world of sports, particularly tennis.
