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.
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 7, 2025 Photo credit: Omnium Banque Nationale Facebook
A diving Victoria Mboko hurled herself at the ball, flicking a flying reply unleashing a resounding roar from Montreal fans.
The Canadian wild card crashed to the court chasing a dropper in wrapping a wild ride. Mboko scored a stunning 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over a detached Naomi Osaka to capture her maiden championship in a fairy-tale finish to the Omnium Banque Nationale Open.
The 18-year-old Mboko took home fans on a thrill ride that was unpredictable, unruly and downright ugly at times as former world No. 1 Osaka mentally unraveled in the face of the teenager’s fierce competitiveness, roaring crowd support and her own self-sabotage.
It ended with a crash landing and will go down as a historic flight. Mboko is the second-youngest woman in WTA history to defeat four Grand Slam champion—Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Osaka—en route to a championship. Only legendary Serena Williams, who was a 17-year-old dynamo clad in canary-colored Puma dress when she knocked off four major champions, including world No. 1 Martina Hingis to win the 1999 US Open, was younger.
The explosive Mboko is the third wild card to win a WTA 1000 championship following soon-to-be Hall of Famer Maria Sharapova (2011 Cincinnati) and compatriot Bianca Andreescu (2019 Indian Wells). Playing with a sore wrist she sustained falling to the court in her semifinal win over Rybakina, Mboko refused to let pain or pressure slow her roll.
“It feels unbelievable right now. I mean, words cannot really describe how today went,” Mboko told the media in Montreal. “Today was such an eventful day actually. I woke up this morning, and I actually had my wrist a little bit swollen from yesterday’s fall, and we quickly went to the hospital actually to do an MRI and an X-ray before I came to the courts to practice today.
“So once we got the green light that nothing too serious was going on in the wrist, I came here and practiced real fast and prepared for my match. So I think today regarding all the events that I did, it feels a lot sweeter.”
World No. 85 Mboko, who was ranked No. 358 a year ago, is the second-lowest ranked woman to win a WTA 1000 title after No. 133 Kim Clijsters, who won the 2005 Indian Wells championship.
In the end, the net divided an immense emotional expanse between four-time major champion Osaka and first-time finalist Mboko.
The teenager played with more poise and deeper desire than a disconsolate Osaka, who incurred a code violation for belting a ball into the stands, appeared annoyed by her opponent toweling off as she was set to serve and looked vacant at the very end.
A determined Mboko flew through the final five games dropping to her knees in exhilaration after earning a two hour, four-minute triumph.
Truth be told it was a bizarre final popping with some brilliant shot-making from both and periods where neither woman could seem to keep the ball between the lines for sustained stretches. Mboko overcame 13 double faults and a 27 percent second-serve percentage, while Osaka often had her opponent on defense only to sail the kill shot in several instances. Mboko converted seven of eight break points and applied her speed and determination to extend points and her knack for the down the line strike to exterminate them.
At times, this final was like watching virtuoso musicians hit pitch perfect high notes then shriek through stretches of atonal music.
Yet, Mboko showed her grit, guts and star power riding a wave of support that overwhelmed Osaka into fretful frustration.
At the outset, Osaka delivered a dose of forehand medicine to Mboko that she received from Liudmila Samsonova in round two.
In her 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 comeback conquest of 13th-seeded Samsonova, Osaka was getting beaten repeatedly in crosscourt exchanges for a set and a half. The Japanese was sometimes taking one big step rather than the short, precise preparation steps to give herself ideal spacing between her body and the ball.
Tonight, Osaka came out straddling the baseline ripping crosscourt forehands basically telling the teenager: let’s see if you can hang and bang in crosscourt forehand fireworks.
Showing the shotmaking that made her a two-time US Open champion, Osaka fired a forehand down the line streaking to a 4-1 lead. Whipping forehands with menacing intent, Osaka broke again to take the opener in 37 minutes.
The world No. 49 seemed to be in control, but soon Mboko’s speed and persistence and the crowd’s growing participation spooked Osaka into strange and sour places.
Facing a red-hot, fearless opponent, thousands of screaming Canadian fans and the prospect of winning her biggest title in four years all amped up the angst Osaka was feeling. That’s completely understandable.
Still, if you’re as experienced as Osaka you cannot be wishing balls out as she did a couple of times pointing to marks she thought were wide on balls that actually landed inside the sideline. You’ve got to play the actual call and not the call you hope to hear—yet it showed the nerves the Japanese superstar was feeling even up a set.
When Osaka dropped serve for the second straight time to fall behind 1-2 in the second set she dropped her blue Yonex stick to the court in a visible show of frustration.
Across the net, the 18-year-old Mboko meant business. After blowing a 40-15 lead and double-faulting back the break in the fourth game, Mboko blasted a big return to break again for 3-2—the sixth straight break of this hard-hitting final.
Shaking off a double fault, Mboko geared into groove drawing a wild forehand error to hold at 30 for 4-2—the first hold since Osaka went up 5-2 in the opening set.
A rattled Osaka was staring up at the sky as if searching for answers from above, while Mboko raced through a love break extending her lead to 5-2.
Cutting a forlorn figure as she paced near the back wall, Osaka looked dejected. Then Mboko threw her a life line.
The teenager totally lost her serve motion spit up three double faults and watched Osaka rope a return down the line to break back in the eighth game. Osaka whipped the wide serve stamping her first hold of the set for 4-5 and shifting pressure back on Mboko’s shoulders.
After asking her coaching box for advice on serve, Mboko took pace off the serve. That approach worked as she rallied from 15-30 down winning three points in a row to snatch a jittery and wild second set and force a decider after 82 minutes of play.
“Naomi came out playing really great tennis,” Mboko said. “I think she always had that aggressive kind of game style, and I knew she was that good of a player. When I lost the first set, I kind of told myself to regroup a little bit and start fresh. I knew she was going to — going into the second set, I knew she was going to also keep playing aggressive, so I kind of had to rely on my defending skills most of the match.
“Since she hits such a powerful ball, it was really hard for me to kind of replicate what she was putting in through. But I think at the end of the day I just did everything I possibly could to pull through the match, and thankfully I came out for the win.”
Despite dumping 12 double faults through two sets, the wild card was one set from her first career title. Osaka left the court to reset before the decider.
In retrospect that break was a big mistake as Mboko spent the down time hitting practice serves and finding her groove while Osaka was trying to set her mind back on track.
Just when you thought a crazy final couldn’t possibly get more unstable, it did. Both women double faulted away breaks to start the final set. Osaka squandered a 30-15 lead, then belted a ball into the stands, incurring a code violation warning for ball abuse as Mboko converted her sixth break edging ahead 2-1.
Throughout this magical Montreal run, Mboko’s poise under pressure, creativity on the run and sheer resilience have been her super-powers. She showed all of that in a draining fourth game.
Dripping sweat, Mboko fought off four break points in a dramatic six-deuce game dabbing a dropper to hold for 3-1 as the entire stadium seemed to rise to its collective feet roaring.
If you’ve watched Osaka win any of her four Grand Slams you know she can be a premier power player with a knack for the devastating first strike.
This final reinforced the fact for all her wondrous gifts as a ball striker, Osaka’s aversion to the net remains a vulnerability. Time and time again, Osaka had the teenager on the move in the fifth game, but stubbornly remained stuck to the baseline trying to squeeze shots closer to the lines. In the end she hit herself into oblivion as Mboko broke a seventh time for 4-1.
Mentally, Mboko was soaring on this magical flight and Osaka was grounded in misery.
When Osaka tapped a casual drop shot, a soaring Mboko raced forward went full dive and crashed to the court flicking a forehand and losing her Wilson racquet in the process. The chair umpire called for a replay to make sure Mboko got it on one bounce, but Osaka, who looked like she just wanted to get off the court, didn’t even wait and played through that request.
“In that game I was, like, Oh, I’m super close. At that point I had the fighting mentality,” Mboko said. “I just wanted to run and put as many balls back in the court as possible. I wanted it so badly that I think falling was a little bit worth it.
“I mean, in that situation I wanted to just stay in there with her. Naomi was playing such aggressive, and she was hitting some pretty clean shots. So I wanted to run and retrieve everything that even didn’t seem possible.”
Mboko completed a magical run dropping to her knees as Osaka came around the net to offer congratulations. Back in 2018, Osaka overcame legendary Serena Williams and 23,000 screaming American fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium to win the US Open in a moment she called “bittersweet”.
Tonight, it felt like a bit of a role reversal with Mboko riding the wave of Canadian crowd support and Osaka looking positively muted by the end.
This victory vaults Mboko past compatriot and Washington, DC champion Leylah Fernandez to No. 25 as the highest-ranked Canadian woman. Mboko said afterward she will skip Cincinnati to rest her sore wrist and prepare for the US Open. Despite the disappointing finish, Osaka rises to No. 24 in the rankings.
There’s a lot to like about Mboko’s game and her commitment to the cause and based on what we saw tonight both women will be dangerous threats at this month’s US Open.
Bianca Andreescu says it "sucks" to be forced to withdraw from Montreal and admits she is "frustrated over a freak accident," but remains hopeful it isn't anything long-term.
With a chance to close out the match against 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, the Canadian tennis player twisted her ankle on a match point. After spending some time on the court in pain and receiving medical assistance, the 2019 US Open champion managed to continue the match and complete a 6-3 6-4 win.
Andreescu, who was in tears after beating Krejcikova, lamented her bad luck and it was clear that she may not be able to continue her Montreal campaign. Unfortunately, exactly that happened on Tuesday when she was forced to give a walkover to Mirra Andreeva.
Andreescu: I can't really explain this injury other than call it a freak accident
The 25-year-old Canadian has a long injury history but insists she has been doing everything possible lately to have a strong body and stay healthy. Speaking to reporters after pulling out of the Andreeva match, the former world No. 4 revealed she is hoping to be able to play in Cincinnati since her injury is considered "a day-to-day thing."
“It's kind of a day-to-day thing. I'm hoping to be ready for Cincinnati, but yeah, we don't know. Can't say… It was out of nowhere. Just happened. I mean, we work proprioception every single day. We do foot exercises, ankles. Yeah, we can't really explain it. Maybe it was emotions. Maybe I was a little bit tired. I just stepped in a weird way. Yeah, we're kind of just saying it was a freak accident. It's all we can really say," Andreescu explained.
Previously, Andreescu was out for six months due to an injury and only kicked off her 2025 season in April.
Bianca Andreescu went through a painful moment very late in her Montreal opener as the former world No. 4 badly rolled her ankle on a match point.
Serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set against 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, the Canadian twisted her ankle and fell on the court instantly. Moments after the injury scare, the 2019 US Open winner yelled, "Why does this always happen to me?"
Andreescu, who was in evident pain and discomfort, was assisted to her bench, where she was treated by the trainer. Ultimately, the Canadian – who received a wildcard for this year's tournament in Montreal – managed to resume play and complete a 6-3 6-4 win.
Bianca Andreescu rolled her ankle on match point while serving for the match against Barbora Krejcikova in Montreal.
She’s been struggling with injuries for so much of her career and always fights her heart out to get back on the court.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 28, 2025
Andreescu cried and got emotional after her Montreal win
The Montreal crowd prompted the 25-year-old to continue playing and gave her the extra energy. And after the current world No. 187 managed to get over the finish line, she became emotional but also acknowledged the crowd's help.
"You guys are everything. I'm super happy I was able to pull through and it's thanks to you guys," the home player told the crowd.
Andreescu's injury history is well-documented as she has struggled with various injuries over the last several years.
After taking part in the Tokyo tournament in 2024 October, the Canadian decided to take a break to address her back injury. The 25-year-old returned to action in April. Since coming back to tennis, she has posted a 12-8 record and she is ranked just inside the top-200.
In the Montreal second round, Andreescu is due to meet Mirra Andreeva. It remains to be seen if tshe will be impacted by the ankle injury.
Luciano Darderi enjoy two thrilling weeks in Bastad and Umag. The 23-year-old Italian conquered two titles and became the third player with at least three ATP titles in 2025, joining Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Bublik on the list.
Darderi gained a boost in Bastad and carried it to Umag, lifting his fourth clay-court ATP 250 title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Carlos Taberner in an hour and 26 minutes.
Thus, Luciano became the fourth Italian champion in Umag and the first since Jannik Sinner in 2022. With 500 ATP points within two weeks, the 23-year-old moved closer to his career-high ranking position.
An UNBELIEVABLE ending in Umag 😱
Luciano Darderi clinched the Croatia Open title but seriously injured himself while celebrating the win 🫢 pic.twitter.com/sIqR3WZcBS
The Italian struggled a bit with a left ankle injury. He felt the pain after celebrating the title, with Taberner helping him to reach the bench, where he received help. That aside, it was a flawless performance from Darderi.
The 2nd seed took 18 points more than his rival. Luciano dropped seven points in nine service games, facing no break points and mounting the pressure on the other side.
Taberner dropped 40% of the points in his games and gave serve away three times from five chances presented to his opponent. The favorite tamed his strokes nicely and landed 20 winners and 17 unforced errors.
He had the upper hand in service winners and from the baseline, building a massive advantage in the shortest range up to four strokes. Luciano lost two points in five service games in the opening set.
He fired a forehand crosscourt winner in the sixth game, providing a break and moving 4-2 in front. They continued after a short rain delay, and Darderi held at 15 in game nine for 6-3 in 40 minutes.
Carlos suffered another break in the fifth game of the second set, sending a backhand wide and moving closer to the exit door. Darderi held at 30 in the next one and moved 4-2 in front.
The Italian held at love in game eight for 5-3 and made a push on the return in the next one. He seized the second match point with a forced error, falling to the ground and celebrating his second title from as many weeks.
"They push you to the limit," Carlos Alcaraz said of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, June 6, 2025
Photo credit: Adam Pretty/Getty
King of Clay Rafa Nadal famously said suffering is a prerequisite to Grand Slam success.
Reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz says facing world No. 1 Jannik Sinnerbrings beautiful brutality.
World No. 2 Alcaraz defeated Lorenzo Musetti in four sets to power into his second straight Roland Garros final with his 13th consecutive win in Paris.
Alcaraz rides a 4-0 record in Grand Slam finals into Sunday's French Open final against either Sinner in a rematch of the 2024 Roland Garros semifinals.
A red-hot Sinner scorched 44 winners and saved three set points in the third set fending off Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3) in three hours, 16 minutes to advance to his maiden Roland Garros final.
It's the first time since the 1984 French Open that both men's and women's singles finals feature No. 1 vs. No. 2 with Aryna Sabalenka meeting Coco Gauff in the women's title match tomorrow.
Asked afterward what he loves about facing those two champions, Alcaraz said both bring out his best—and reinforce his belief pain is progress because both rivals "push you to the limit."
"I mean, I enjoy every time that I'm playing against them, because I love that battle," Alcaraz told the media in Paris. "But, you know, most of the time is just about suffering, because they push you to the limit."
Alcaraz said those brutal showdowns are beautiful experiences that make him a better player.
"But my favorite thing is, as I said, it gives you the feedback of how can I be better, a better player," Alcaraz said. "I think that's important, and that's beautiful, even though if I win or not, gives you a lot of stats and gives you the feedback."
Alexander Bublik after surprising the tennis world, spoke with candor on reaching the Roland-Garros quarterfinals for the first time.
By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Monday, June 2, 2025
Photo Source: Roland-Garros Facebook
The mercurial, crowd-pleasing talents of Alexander Bublik has now earned him worldwide attention after his shock four-set upset win over No. 5 seed Jack Draper to reach the Roland-Garros quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
Bublik, 27, celebrated his unexpected 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory with tears in his eyes as he became the first Kazakhstani man to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in history.
"Sometimes in life there's only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine, and I couldn't let it slip," Bublik said in an on-court interview, after an extended standing ovation from the Court Suzanne-Lenglen crowd. "Standing here, it's the best moment of my life, period."
The final game of the match proved pivotal in more ways than one. Draper, still down a service break at 5-4, forced Rublev to serve for the match. Draper battled and held two break points, only to lose out on both. Rublev eventually closed out the game, and the match.
But Rublev admitted later on TNT Sports, if he had lost that game, he would likely have lost the motivation to try and win the match from there.
“I said to myself, if I'm losing that break, it's 7-5 6-2 max (in favor of Draper)," Bublik said. "I'm not gonna fight, because if you have this chance to make your first ever quarterfinal and you blow it. It's your fault. That's how I see it.”
Bublik, known for his unorthodox playing style, including underhand serves and trick shots, and rather cavalier personality, both on and off the court was not expected to be in the mix this fortnight in Paris. Though he’s reached a career high World No. 17, he’s currently ranked at No. 62.
Despite winning four ATP Tour titles in his career, 2025 has been a rough season so far. Before Paris, Bublik was 7-13 on the year.
Yet Bublik must have felt something good was coming for him in Paris after he earned a two sets from behind victory over No. 9 seed Alex de Minaur earlier in the second round. Bublik admitted he contemplated quitting tennis earlier this season after falling to the low 80s ranking wise.
While he previously complained about the clay court swing being too long, this year, he realized he needed to make an effort on the dirt to boost his ranking.
“I was eighty in the world. I was talking to my coach I want to quit tennis because I’m eighty in the world. It feels disgraceful for me,” Bublik said. “So I just said to myself, you have a gift, you gotta use your chances. If I have one, I'm gonna use it.
"I'm just gonna fight. I'm gonna try to play on clay and see how it goes and it worked like this, Because I had no room, you know, to cry. Because if you have room to cry, I always would take the cry, you know.”
Bublik added, “But when you have no options then it's that's how it works.”
Many tennis observers have questioned Bublik’s efforts on-court and off court throughout his career.
While Bublik confirmed he works hard off the court, he’s the first to admit that he prefers a “work/life” balance that includes his family. He can only speak for himself when it comes to determining what’s best for his life and career.
“There is no way around hard work. Don't get me wrong,” Bublik said in his post-match press conference. “I work hard, but on my terms, you know. I do what I'm capable of doing with my body, but I will not push through a knee injury in order to have, you know, a certain chance to win a certain match. So for me, there is no way around hard work. I have been working very hard, and I do work very hard."
Bublik, a proud father, added on TNT he tries to put tennis into perspective
“Tennis is fifty percent of my life, you know I have other part of being a dad, being a friend, which is have the same importance for me as being a tennis player," Bublik said. "So in this percent that I have as a professional athlete, I have to do maximum what my body is capable of.
"I'm not going to put my health on the line. I'm not going to be fighting through injuries. You know, if I have pain, I resign. I say thank you very much. I'm not going there.
"Because I prioritize my health a lot. And if you tell me, Sasha, you gonna win a Slam. But you can't walk at forty. I'm not going to take this. So then I have to work with the tools I have.”
Bublik next faces World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.
