young Canadian tennis player named Victoria Mboko competes against Naomi Osaka in the final of the Canadian Open tournament. Mboko, at the age of 18, is the opponent in this high-stakes match.
In the heart of Toronto, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko has made history by qualifying for the WTA Tour final of her career. Born on August 26, 2006, in North Carolina, Mboko's journey in professional tennis has been nothing short of remarkable.
Mboko's love for tennis began at the tender age of three, inspired by her three tennis-playing siblings. Her family, who emigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the late 1990s, moved to Toronto when Mboko was a child. As a young girl, Mboko would attend the Canadian Open with her brothers and sister, dreaming of one day gracing the same courts.
Mboko's career took off in 2025, starting the year ranked No. 333. She rapidly rose through the ranks by winning multiple ITF tournaments and making a significant impact on the WTA Tour. Her breakthrough came at the Canadian Open, a WTA 1000 event.
Early in 2025, Mboko dominated several ITF W35 events and maintained a 33-3 win-loss record before the Canadian Open. She earned her first tour-level victory in Miami earlier in the year. Before her triumph at the Canadian Open, she advanced to the third round of the French Open and the second round at Wimbledon.
At the Canadian Open, Mboko reached the semi-finals by defeating world No. 2 Coco Gauff, marking her as the youngest female semi-finalist at the event in 10 years. She went on to win the tournament, defeating four former Grand Slam champions, including Naomi Osaka in the final. This victory is projected to jump her ranking to world No. 24, a significant leap from her beginning-of-year ranking.
The Canadian Open win was not just about the title for Mboko. She played through a wrist injury and defeated top-ranked players, including the No. 1 seed Coco Gauff and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina, herself a former Wimbledon champion.
Mboko's family's support has been a driving factor in her career. When she feels nervous, she looks for them in the stands. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, is enthusiastic about Mboko's future. Stephens believes Mboko could potentially be a grand slam champion and number one in the world.
Regardless of the result on Thursday night, Mboko is assured to be one of the top 40 players in the world. She will face four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in the final. Mboko, the youngest of four siblings, has come a long way from watching the Canadian Open as a child. Her journey continues, and the tennis world eagerly awaits to see what the future holds for this young, talented player.
[1] Tennis.com [2] ESPN [3] BBC Sport [4] Sports Illustrated [5] CBC Sports
Victoria Mboko's journey in professional tennis, starting from her love for the sport at three years old, has culminated in her securing a spot in the WTA Tour final as the youngest semi-finalist at the Canadian Open in the last decade. As she prepares to face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the final, the tennis world eagerly anticipates her potential future victories in this competitive sport.
