Watch | Victoria Mboko Drops to Her Knees After Clinching Her First WTA Title
The local favourite defeated veteran Osaka in front of an ecstatic crowd to become the fifth youngest winner of the prestigious tournament held in Montreal.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko secured her maiden WTA tour-level title by defeating Naomi Osaka in the final of the Canadian Open on Friday.
The young Canadian overcame the experienced Osaka in front of a supportive home crowd to become the fifth youngest player ever to win the coveted title at the Montreal event.
At 18 years old, Mboko also became the second-youngest player in the Open Era to beat four Grand Slam champions in a single tournament. Only the legendary Serena Williams achieved this at a younger age—during the 1999 US Open.
Mboko staged a remarkable comeback to claim her first title, beating the Japanese star 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
In the opening set, Osaka gave her young opponent very little room, breaking early to take a 3-0 lead. Mboko committed 22 unforced errors, and two mistimed forehands cost her a second service break, allowing Osaka to close out the set with ease.
The momentum shifted in the second set, which saw seven service breaks in total. Mboko ramped up the pressure, breaking Osaka at love to go 5-2 up. Despite a shaky game where she hit three double faults and was broken, Mboko regained composure. Osaka held her serve at love to narrow the gap, but the Canadian sealed the set when Osaka sent a forehand long on set point.
In the deciding set, Osaka lost serve at love at the start and seemed visibly deflated. Though Mboko couldn’t hold the immediate advantage, she broke Osaka again in the third game. After receiving a warning for angrily hitting a ball into the air on break point, Osaka dropped serve again with a loose forehand. That sparked a streak of five consecutive games for Mboko.
Both players struggled to find consistent winners, but when Mboko held serve after fending off four break points to take a 3-1 lead, Osaka found herself facing an uphill task.
Finally, on match point, Osaka sent a backhand into the net. As the crowd erupted, Mboko fell to her knees in celebration.
