Archive of posts tagged driver

Victorious Victoria! 18-Year-Old Mboko Stuns Rybakina to Reach Montreal Final

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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 6, 2025

Grand Slam champions keep stepping up to face teen sensation Victoria Mboko in Montreal, and the kid keeps knocking them down.

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Tennis Express player gear

For the third time in six matches at the Omnium Banque Nationale, Mboko defeated a former major champion, as she advanced to her maiden WTA final with a 1-6 7-5 7-6(4) victory over Elena Rybakina.

“It was an incredible match,” Mboko, who has also defeated Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff on her way to the final, told the Montreal crowd. “I want to say thanks to everyone who supported me tonight. It was electric, and I’m very happy – oh my god!”

Mboko battled over two hours and 45 minutes, rallying from a set down and twice from a break down in the final set as she saved a match point and finally pushed past the No.9 seed in a tiebreak, winning the final three points to lock up a spot in the final where a fourth former major champion – Naomi Osaka – will be waiting.

Osaka defeated Clara Tauson in Wednesday’s second semifinal, 6-2 7-6(7).

Mboko survived despite winning only 35 percent of her second-serve points, thanks to a 72 percent first-serve percentage and a very timely break game. With pinpoint returns, stellar defense, and plenty of guile she earned six breaks of Rybakina’s serve as she locked up her second consecutive Top 20 win and became the youngest woman to reach the final in Canada since Belinda Bencic in 2015.

What was Mboko most proud of?

“I would say my ability to kind of come back in the third set,” she said. “I feel like after I had that fall, I wasn’t in the greatest spirits. Of course, she was playing really great tennis on top of that, but I’m happy that I kept my composure, and I was kind of patient in the right moments.

“I just feel really happy that I was able to bounce back after being down. Even a match point…”

Mboko is also the only Canadian woman to ever defeat three former Slam champions in the same event in Open Era history.

“It was very difficult, Elena is a very good player, but anything can happen,” Mboko said.

The victory was not accomplished without adversity.

Mboko took a fall in the second game of the final set, and had her right wrist examined after the third game, but she was able to play through the pain to get the victory against the woman who knocked her out of the Washington, DC draw last week.

“Unfortunately I fell,” Mboko said. “But everybody was supporting me and pushing me through.”

A remarkable effort from a young woman who is playing in her seventh WTA main draw, and just her third at the WTA 1000 level.

Ranked 85 at the start of the week, Mboko is up to 34 in the WTA live rankings at the moment. She was outside the Top 300 when the season started but 41 wins and just eight losses across all levels have propelled the former junior world No.6 to her current perch.

A Battle Royale

It was tense from start to finish against Rybakina, who rallied from a break down to level at 5-5 in the second set, just two games from the win. But Mboko won eight of the final ten points of the set to force a decider.

In the third, Rybakina was in the driver’s set again, leading 4-2 and 5-3 with a break, but she failed to convert a match point while serving at 5-4 and was broken.

After breaking back in the next game, she was broken at love by Mboko and a tiebreak ensued.

The Canadian saved her best for last – a line-licking forehand that went for a winner and a 5-4 lead in the breaker. Two points later she sank to her knees in disbelief, another Grand Slam champion, another victim of a raw, talented phenom on the rise.

Magic of Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca

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Alcanada

Alcanada is one of those courses that lingers in your memory. Not just for the view of the lighthouse or the perfectly manicured grass, but for that feeling you get when you're on a course truly designed for golf. I played it during my golf trip to Mallorca, and I can tell you it was a memorable experience.

Mallorca, news

The course is located in the northeast of the island, a few kilometers from Alcúdia, directly overlooking the Mediterranean. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the course unfolds naturally among hills, pine trees, olive trees, and picture-perfect sea views. But don't be fooled by its beauty: the layout is technical, requires precise choices, and changes depending on the wind.

A course that changes: up and down towards the sea
My experience began on the first nine holes, which unfold on hilly terrain. Here, the course rises and falls between natural slopes, narrow doglegs, and blind tee shots that force you to trust your shot. The surrounding vegetation gives you a sense of intimacy, but every now and then it opens up and allows a glimpse of the sea, foreshadowing what's to come.

The back nine are a different story. The course begins to curve toward the coast, and the protagonist becomes the Alcanada lighthouse, looming between the holes like a fixed landmark. The landscape opens up, the wind becomes more present, and each hole begins to interact with the Mediterranean.

It is precisely on these holes that important pages of European golf are written: since 2019, Alcanada has been the official host of the Challenge Tour Grand Final, the final event of the season. The best players on the circuit compete here, battling for promotion to the DP World Tour. It's a crucial stage, in a spectacular and challenging setting: fast greens, meticulously planned flag positions, and the pressure of those playing for their future.

Of all the holes, there are a few that have truly remained in my heart:

Hole 3 – A par 4 that seems easy, but isn't
A short par 4 that doesn't seem intimidating… but it doesn't take much to complicate your life. The tee shot is blind, and the fairway slopes slightly, with lateral bunkers ready to punish overshots. I tried to be conservative to leave a comfortable second shot, but the green is well-defended and unforgiving with hidden slopes. It's one of those holes where you need more brains than strength.

Hole 7 – The picture-perfect par 5
Here, I really slowed down to enjoy the view. From the tee, the view of the ocean and the lighthouse is breathtaking. The fairway slopes gently toward the green, squeezed between bunkers and Mediterranean scrub. The opening shot must be well-placed to avoid the bunker in the middle of the fairway, and the second shot—if you decide to attack—requires courage. The surrounding scenery is so captivating, you almost forget about your score.

Hole 11 – Pure Strategy
Another par 5, another story. This hole is long and tricky, with a narrow, sloping fairway. Every shot must be considered: the ball's position on the third shot greatly affects the entry to the green, which is well protected by a side bunker. The lighthouse in the background is an incredible constant on the back nine.

Hole 13 – The signature hole of Golf Alcanada
This is the course's signature hole, the one that alone is worth the trip. A downhill par 5, with the Alcanada lighthouse perfectly aligned before you and a breathtaking, open view of the blue Mediterranean. The tee shot is both spectacular and technical: I took the driver and managed to land in the center of the fairway, edging past the bunker placed right there to make you think twice.

From that point on, you enjoy a hole that embodies all the charm of this course: clean lines, nature as the protagonist, and a well-defended green that forces you to think until the very last shot. If there's one moment I'll take home from this experience, it's this tee shot.

Hole 17 – an Open-level par 3
Almost at the end of the round, Alcanada pulls off a masterstroke. The 17th is a 194-meter par 3 with the sea on the left and a green protected by well-placed bunkers. The wind, as often happens here, is unforgiving.

One part of Wyndham Clark’s game gets high praise from Smylie Kaufman

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Wyndham Clark has amazed the public with his performances in the last few weeks, and many are asking the question, can Clark be even more dominant? The famous golfer did not excel at the start of the season, having many problems in the game. However, performing at the Genesis Scottish Open, Clark showed his qualities, and he transferred his great form to the Open Championship, finishing as T4. 

However, Clark surprised the public with his decision to withdraw from the Wyndham Championship, and important figures in the golf scene reacted to this news. 

During his show, Smylie Kaufman reflected on Wyndham's decision, focusing primarily on some dominant aspects of this golfer's game.

“He’s clearly playing some good golf, has confidence in his game right now. He’s always been a really good putter in my mind, I think one of the most underrated putters on the tour really, especially if you give him enough putts from that 10 to 30 foot range, he’s going to make a couple a round. That’s how good a putter he is and how hot he can get,” he said, as reported by The Golfing Gazette.

Kaufman talks about Clark's decision

Kaufman is aware that this course is not conducive to his game, as the dominant aspects of Clark's game cannot be expressed in this tournament. 

Wyndham, on the other hand, is a golfer who analyzed the situation, having slightly different plans than some expected. 

It seems that he made a good decision, but time will tell how true that is.

“For him at Wyndham, it’s not really a good course fit at all because it takes his strengths out of his hands, which is his driving distance, how far he can hit it. But it also makes him play strategic golf where he can play that little tee down driver, just get the ball in the fairway, give himself opportunity with his wedges. He’s a bit of an inconsistent iron player I would say, and really from seven iron up, it gets a little erratic. But I think the wedges can be good at times."- he said.

He seems most focused on the Ryder Cup, wanting to win a place in the team. 

Whether he will succeed in this, time will tell, but it seems that there is not such a great chance at this moment.