Canadian Victoria Mboko teen crazy did a unbelievable comeback to win her first WTA crown by beating four-time Grand Slam Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the Canadian Open final on Thursday.
The 18-year-old, ranked No. 85, wrapped up an unthinkable week in Montreal by going past a wrist injury and coming from behind against Osaka, who was looking for her first title since the 2021 Australian Open.
Mboko made eight out of nine break chances tally and brought in resilience to her fourth win against a Grand Slam champion.After a initially unconfident set where she had committed 22 unforced errors, Mboko changed the course of the game in the very tight second set, repeatedly breaking Osaka and taking it even against the late faltering.
In the last set, she took advantage of Osaka’s increasing mistakes and psyching out, winning five games consecutively and thus, securing her career’s biggest win.
Among others, Mboko’s mythic run included triumphs over Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina. She is soon to be World No. 34 and has become a prominent rising star.“I would never have thought such a thing could happen so early,” Mboko remarked. “This just means that your dreams are nearer than you expect.”