The eyes of the tennis world were turned to Canada in recent weeks thanks to the National Bank Open, with the women’s tournament being held in Montreal and the men’s taking place in Toronto.
Ranked 85th in the world, Canadian Victoria Mboko was not a name that people were talking about much ahead of the tournament, however, that narrative changed fast once she started beating some of the top tennis talents around the world and subsequently began her underdog run.
Her first win came against unranked Kimberly Birrell of Australia in the first round, where she won in straight sets (7-5, 6-3). Her next win came against world 23rd ranked Sofia Kenin of the USA in the second round, once again doing so in straight sets (6-2, 6-3).
She had a close call in the third round against Czechia’s Marie Bouzkova, where she lost the first set 6-1, before coming back and winning the next two sets 6-3 and 6-0.
Mboko really started to make headlines after she beat world number two Coco Gauff in the fourth round, who is a two time grand slam winner (US Open 2023, French Open 2025).
Not only did she beat arguably the best tennis player in the world, she did it in straight sets and in a somewhat dominant fashion, winning the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-4. Defeating Gauff booked her a spot in the quarter-finals, where she faced off against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, where she won in straight sets (6-4, 6-2).
Her semi-final matchup was against another tough opponent in Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, who is ranked 9th in the world and is also a Wimbledon champion, winning it back in 2022. This was one Mboko’s toughest tests of the tournament, as she lost the first set 6-1.
Mboko would bounce back in a very close second set, winning 7-5 and forcing a third and penultimate set. The third set was also close as it required a tiebreaker, which Mboko persevered, winning 7-4 and making her the first Canadian to make the NBO finals since 2019 (Bianca Andreescu).
Mboko was one win away from winning on home soil, but standing in her way was Japan’s Naomi Osaka, the former world number one who has a very impressive resume that includes two wins at both the US Open and Australian Open respectively.
The first set was a slow start for Mboko, as she lost 6-2. She bounced back in the second set, winning 6-4, forcing a third and final winner take all set, and she never looked back, dominating to a 6-2 win, and leading Mboko to her first career tennis title on home soil.
Mboko is now ranked 25th in the world tennis rankings after starting the week ranked 85th, an absolutely incredible rise for the 18-year old, who certainly has a lot more to show the tennis world.