Karen Khachanov suggests he wasn't that surprised by the Toronto crowd's reaction to Victoria Mboko's Montreal triumph as the Russian says stuff like this is pretty common in Canada.
In case you missed it, the clock struck at 30 minutes of play in the Toronto Masters final when the crowd started going nuts – it happened as Khachanov was preparing to serve against Ben Shelton. The Russian stood there waiting for the spectators to calm down, while his American rival looked in disbelief and had no idea what was happening. The chair umpire provided quick explanation by telling the 22-year-old that the crowd was probably celebrating Mboko's win over Naomi Osaka in the Montreal final.
Crazy scenes in the Shelton & Khachanov Toronto final.
The crowd erupts mid-match because 18 year old Victoria Mboko just beat Naomi Osaka to win the title in Montreal.
When the play continued, Khachanov managed to win a very tight opener against Shelton with a 7-6 (5) scoreline. Unfortunately for the Russian, he didn't manage to complete the job as Shelton came back from a set down to win 6-7 (5) 6-4 7-6 (3).
Khachanov comments on the viral Toronto final interruption
In his post-final presser, Khachanov was asked whether he had experienced anything like that before. And he said that something similar happened when Denis Shapovalov upset Rafael Nadal at the Canadian Open eight years ago.
"I think in Canada it's happening, but, yeah, if I remember, I think every year it happens, you know, from city to city they cheer for a local player, yeah. I remember I think in long time ago it was with Shapovalov, when he reached also like first time semifinals I think when he beat Rafa. I was playing I guess in Toronto, and then I remember something like this was happening, yeah," the 29-year-old said.
18-year-old Victoria Mboko is the talk of the town in Montreal and around the tennis world after she claimed her maiden WTA title on Thursday evening with an emotional win over Naomi Osaka in the Omnium Banque Nationale final.
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She’ll take some time away from the spotlight, however.
The Canadian has elected to pull out of the Cincinnati Open draw in order to rest the wrist she injured while falling during her semifinal win over Elena Rybakina in Montreal.
“I’m not planning on playing Cincinnati at the moment,” she said, after explaining that her right wrist was swollen on Thursday, and adding that she went to the hospital earlier that day for an MRI/X-Ray. “I just want to take care of my wrist a little bit right now, and I think it’s just very close and sudden for me to go there and play again I think in, like, two days.
“I think I’m just going to sit out on that one and prepare for the upcoming tournaments.”
Osaka, who reached her first WTA 1000 final since 2022 in Montreal, has also withdrawn from Cincinnati.
Mboko admitted that the swelling in her wrist was concerning but said it didn’t affect her play against Osaka too much.
“It was pretty swollen, and it was really stiff and hard to move,” she said. “So we decided to go to do an MRI and an X-ray just to make sure that nothing too serious was happening, that I could have the possibility of playing.
“When I got the green light, I just had to make sure I saw the physios, and we taped it up properly before the match and a very solid tape job. Yeah, I just did as much as I could to prepare for the match.”
Mboko, who rose from No.85 to No.24 in today’s WTA rankings, defeated four former Grand Slam champions during her run to the title in Montreal. It was just her seventh WTA main draw.
She says she doesn’t want to get over the moon about her success, however.
“I surround myself with people who have known me for so long, and I just like to keep a small circle,” Mboko said. “I like to be really relaxed and calm. So I think going forward, I just want to keep the same routines that I’m usually used to.
“I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself just because of something that happened this week, because life goes on. There’s always another tournament, whether win or lose. I’m just happy to live the moment. Once it’s passed, it’s passed.”
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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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.
ALLEZ VICKY 💪
Following an EPIC three setter, Victoria Mboko rallies back to defeat Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) to reach her first WTA final!#OBN25pic.twitter.com/1iP9zIHzNw
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.
Among the handful of household names still very much in the mix ahead of quarterfinal action at the 1000-level events in Canada this week, there are a few newbies who could just be ready to make a big splash.
And a four-time major champion that has not seen much success at the biggest events of late.
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Let’s have a look at some of the players that could produce breakout results over the next three days in Canada.
Alex Michelsen
The 20-year-old American has reached his maiden Masters quarterfinals, and that makes three American men in the quarters of a Masters event for the first time since 2004 Indian Wells: Michelsen, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
Today Michelsen will face Karen Khachanov in Toronto as he bids to become the youngest American man to reach the semifinals at a Masters event since Andy Roddick won the 2003 title. Michelsen, who will rise to No.28 in the live rankings if he wins, is bidding to become the first player born in 2004 to reach a Masters semifinal.
Clara Tauson
The 22-year-old Dane has already defeated two Top-5 players in 2024. She has now reached her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal and is already up to a new career-high ranking of 17 in the live rankings. She’ll face Madison Keys on Tuesday.
Victoria Mboko
It’s all gravy for the youngest player remaining in the women’s draw – and the last Canadian standing in either event — in Montreal this week, as 18-year-old wild card Victoria Mboko faces Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for a spot in the semis on Monday night.
Mboko, making her main draw debut, defeated Coco Gauff to reach her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Same for Bouzas Maneiro, and both players are bidding to reach their first tour-level semifinal.
Ben Shelton
22-year-old American Ben Shelton has already reached the semifinals at a major, but he hasn’t gone there at a Masters event thus far. He’ll have a chance to achieve the feat on Tuesday when he meets Alex de Minaur in Toronto, in a first-time meeting.
Of the eight men remaining in the singles draw in Toronto, only the Americans – Michelsen and Shelton – have yet to reach a Masters final.
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Naomi Osaka
Could it be the four-time Slam champion’s time to shine again in Montreal? Naomi Osaka, with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski at the helm, will bid for her first 1000-level semifinal since 2022 in Miami.
The former No.1, who rifled past Anastasija Sevastova in 49 minutes on Sunday, will face former champion Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.
Only four of the remaining eight players left in the Montreal draw have previously won a title at the 1000 level: Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, Osaka and Svitolina
Elena Rybakina may have beaten Victoria Mboko less than two weeks ago in Washington but the 2022 Wimbledon champion highlights she has taken notice of how the 18-year-old has played in Montreal so far and will enter their match fully cautious.
On Monday, the Kazakh tennis star was cruising toward a straight-set win over Marta Kostyuk when the Ukrainian retired from the match while 1-6 1-2 down.
Next up for Rybakina will be one of the best stories of this year's Montreal tournament edition – teenage sensation Mboko, who has dropped just one set en route to making the semifinal. Also, it should be noted that the Canadian's path to the semis includes a stunning 6-1 6-4 win over top seed Coco Gauff.
For Rybakina and Mboko, it will be their second meeting in 12 days. In late July, the Kazakh former world No. 3 ousted the 85th-ranked Canadian 6-3 7-5 in their first encounter in Washington.
Rybakina: The conditions will be different… Mboko is definitely dangerous and she has nothing to lose
"She's a tough opponent. She has really good strokes, and she plays fast, and she has really good serve. I feel like in Washington it was also a bit difficult for both of us since it was a night match, and the conditions were, like, very different. Now we are playing here, and it's more consistent, I would say. So she's definitely dangerous. She has nothing to lose, and I'm sure she's enjoying out there. Yeah, it's going to be a tough one. Hopefully I can bring my best," the 2022 Wimbledon champion said of the 18-year-old rising star.
Although not a lot of time has passed since their Washington meeting, Rybakina is right when she says that it will be a different matchup this time. After clinching five wins in Montreal and beating two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff, Mboko's confidence is undoubtedly sky high.
However, Rybakina still enters the match as the favorite to beat Mboko.
Coco Gauff refused to compare Victoria Mboko to herself and also added that others should not engage in such conversations because it would be "unfair" toward the 18-year-old Canadian.
On Tuesday, the rising Canadian star – who is ranked at No. 85 in the world – registered her biggest win by ousting the top-seeded American 6-1 6-4 in the round-of-16 of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal.
From start to finish, it was Mboko who had the upper hand as the 18-year-old impressively converted four of her five break point chances, as well as saved all of Gauff's five break point opportunities.
Before making her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Montreal, Mboko won five ITF titles earlier this year. The Canadian, who was ranked at No. 333 when the 2025 season, is now guaranteed to improve at least 30 spots on Monday and be ranked inside the top-55 for the first time in her career.
Even before beating Gauff, Mboko drew certain comparisons to the American, who had a rapid start to her career. Those conversations only increased after the 18-year-old's impressive win on Saturday.
Gauff: I don't think it's fair to put that on Mboko
"No, she's a completely different player, completely different person. I've never been one to compare myself to others, whether it be like people comparing me to Serena or Venus, and I don't think it's fair to put that on her as well. Yeah, but I do see someone who is going to have a really bright future, for sure," the 21-year-old American responded when asked if she recognized herself in the Canadian.
Gauff didn't want to compare Mboko to herself but she gladly said what she liked about the Canadian's game.
"I mean, she's very athletic. She's a great ball striker, and she seems pretty positive out there on the court, doesn't get really too negative," the two-time Grand Slam winner explained.
Victoria Mboko claims she didn't think much or put any focus on Coco Gauff making errors on the court as she just wanted to stay locked in on executing her own tactics.
In front of their home fans, the 18-year-old Canadian pulled off a big upset and recorded the biggest win of her career after ousting the current world No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion 6-1 6-4 to reach the Montreal quarterfinal.
Going into the match, Gauff had struggled in her first two matches with double faults and unforced errors. And right from the start of their round-of-16 clash, Mboko took full control of the match and she was all over the top seed.
While the American tennis star found her footing in the second set, Mboko was still the one who came up big when it mattered the most, saving four break points in the seventh game before collecting the key break in the 10th game.
During the match, Gauff had six double faults and 24 unforced errors.
Mboko asked what crossed her mind when Gauff started making 'a lot of mistakes'
"Well, I mean, nothing really crosses my mind just because, I mean, that's the game. People make errors. It happens. I make errors too. So I was just really focused on myself and what I had to do. I didn't really focus as much as what she was doing in the match because I just wanted to play as solid of a game as I possibly could. I just wanted to do what I was supposed to do in the match and hope for the best," the world No. 85 explained.
When it comes to her own stats, Mboko was impressive – she had five break points and converted five of those. Also, the 18-year-old didn't allow Gauff to realize any of her five break point chances.
In her post-match presser, Gauff spoke highly of the rising Canadian tennis star and tipped her to have a bright future.
For a place in the Montreal semifinal, Mboko meets Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 2, 2025 Photo credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty
Victoria Mboko expected a tough fight from Coco Gauff.
Before an electric home crowd, the Canadian teenager delivered a knockout.
Eighteen-year-old Mboko repeatedly beat Gauff to the punch toppling the top-seeded American 6-1, 6-4 to score her biggest career win and roar into the Montreal quarterfinals.
“It was one of the biggest matches I could have played so far in my career. So far I feel really happy with how it went,” Mboko told the media in Montreal. “Playing Coco is obviously never easy. She’s No. 2 in the world, and it’s been such a great opportunity for me to play against someone like her. I was just happy I kept my composure today and I pulled it through.”
A dynamic Mboko broke at 15 in the first and last games and spent much of the match playing off the front foot staying one step ahead of the two-time Grand Slam champion.
“I mean, it is tough. I knew she would come in with a lot of confidence, and she’s won her first couple of rounds easily,” Gauff said. “Honestly, I haven’t played the best this tournament, so I knew that it would be tough.
“I don’t know, I just felt like I could do better today, but I also knew that if I took my foot off the gas a little bit, that she would take advantage of those moments, and she did.”
It was Mboko’s first career Top 10 win and she displayed both power and poise pulling it off.
Mboko, who swept former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in round two, made history as the third Canadian teenager to beat multiple Grand Slam champions at a single event. The explosive Mboko joins Bianca Andreescu (Auckland, Indian Wells and US Open in 2019) and Leylah Fernandez (2021 US Open) in achieving that impressive feat.
When things got tight tonight at 4-all in the second set, Mboko did not crack and continued driving the ball deeper than the two-time Grand Slam champion in avenging a three-set loss to Gauff in Rome.
“Honestly, I don’t think she played much different. I think it’s two different surfaces, and I felt like my level was a little bit higher in Rome, so I think the matchup was better,” Gauff said. “But still, I knew in Rome when I played her, it would be a tough match, and it was.
“I knew today it would be hard, and she’s playing, like, high-level tennis. Yeah, I think that’s what showed today. I think she was the better player today.”
Reigning Roland Garros champion Gauff committed 23 double faults—nearly a full set of doubles—in her opener vs. Danielle Collins yet still squeezed out a 7-5, 4-6 7-6(2) victory relying on her grit and legs to get it done in two hours, 56 minutes. In round two, Gauff clanked 14 double faults fending off Veronika Kudermetova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Today, Gauff hit just six double faults—one more than the Canadian wild card—but Mboko often handcuffed the top seed slashing returns right back through the middle. Mboko converted all four of her break point chances and frequently controlled the forehand to forehand exchanges.
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Gauff skipped Washington, DC to spend time in the Florida heat working on her serve. That shot was suspect in Montreal this week revealing her service game is still very much a work in progress as she heads to Cincinnati before the start of the US Open later this month.
This match was a rematch of the Rome second round in May when Gauff rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.
On the faster Montreal court, Mboko showed she’s one of the few women who can run with the speedy Gauff as she prevailed in some of the crackling crosscourt running rallies.
Reflecting on that Rome defeat helped Mboko remain focused throughout the second set.
“Yeah, I was actually really thinking about it a lot during the match, especially after I won the first set. I kind of had flashbacks to when I played her in Rome a little bit,” Mboko said. “I just remember when she kind of came out playing even better and stepped it up a bit better when I played her in Europe, I was thinking about that.
“I kind of wanted to step my game up a little bit more and make sure I matched whatever she was producing, and I wanted to stay right there with her.”
Taking the ball earlier than Gauff at times Mboko burned the world No. 2 blasting drives down the line.
Deadlocked at 4-all in the second set, Mboko cracked a backhand drive down the line then flashed a clenched fist toward her box holding at 30 for 5-4.
Serving to extend the match, Gauff was down double match point when she hit the slider serve wide. On the full stretch, Mboko flicked a forehand return back into play. Gauff got up to the ball but tried to play a short slice and found the net instead.
Clad head-to-toe in blue Wilson apparel, Mboko tossed her racquet aside and covered her face with her hands in an eruption of emotion as Montreal fans exploded with cheers.
Gauff was gracious in defeat crediting the teenager with outplaying her.
“She’s very athletic. She’s a great ball striker, and she seems pretty positive out there on the court, doesn’t get really too negative,” Gauff said. “I mean, I don’t know her too well, but I’ve gotten to talk to her a little bit over the course since Rome. I think she has a great support system around her, and I think that’s important when you’re young and on tour.
“Yeah, hopefully we have many more battles, and I look forward to playing her again in the future.”
Mboko is the first Canadian teenager to reach the quarterfinals since Andreescu won the title in 2019—and based on this performance she’s poised to do even more damage in this North American summer hard court season.
Coco Gauff reduced her double fault number against Victoria Mboko but still easily lost her Montreal round-of-16 match after the world No. 85 picked up a 6-1 6-4 win in just an hour and two minutes of play.
Right out the gate, rising Canadian star Mboko wanted to show that she came to play and she did so by impressively breaking the top seed three times in the first set to bag the opener.
After easily dropping the opening set, Gauff stabilized on her serve, but also failed to convert any of her four break points in the seventh game. That came back to haunt the American, who got broken in the 10th game of the second set – the game in which she was serving to stay in the match.
Through her first two Montreal matches, Gauff fired a total of 37 double faults. Against Mboko, the top seed had six double faults. But the issue was that she won only 12 of her 27 second serve points – saved only one of five break points she faced – all while also not realizing any of her five break points.
In her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal, Mboko will play against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Mboko paid tribute to Gauff after their Montreal match
After sealing the biggest win of her career, the 18-year-old Canadian declared the 21-year-old American "a great champion."
“It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion," the world No. 85 said after beating the two-time Grand Slam winner.
Gauff also spoke highly of the rising Canadian tennis star, tipping her to do some nice things.
“I’m sure we’re going to have many more battles in the future. Yeah, I think she’s going to have a lot of success on tour," Gauff said of the 18-year-old.
World No. 51 Bouzas Maneiro is a pretty favorable quarterfinal matchup for Mboko and the home favorite will definitely like her chances of also making the Montreal semifinal.
