The 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal delivered a fairytale moment for Canadian tennis, as 18-year-old wildcard Victoria Mboko staged a stunning comeback to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, clinching her maiden WTA 1000 title. The victory, celebrated by a roaring home crowd, marked Mboko as the third Canadian woman in the Open Era to win the prestigious event, following Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019). Yet, the triumph was overshadowed by controversy when Osaka, in a brief and emotional runner-up speech, failed to congratulate Mboko, drawing widespread criticism for her “disrespectful” demeanor. Amid the backlash, Mboko’s heartfelt response revealed a maturity beyond her years, reaffirming her admiration for her childhood idol and showcasing the grace of a rising star.
Mboko’s path to the Montreal final was a masterclass in resilience. Ranked No. 85 at the tournament’s start, she toppled a quartet of Grand Slam champions—Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Osaka—becoming only the second teenager since Serena Williams in 1999 to defeat four major winners in a single event. Despite a swollen wrist from a semifinal fall against Rybakina, Mboko battled through pain, revealing post-match that she’d visited the hospital for an MRI and X-ray hours before the final. “I can’t find the words to describe this day. It was very eventful,” she said, describing the whirlwind of medical checks and practice. Her ability to convert eight of nine break points against Osaka, despite 13 double faults, underscored her composure under pressure. “When I had that winning moment and seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience,” she told the Montreal crowd, her voice brimming with gratitude.
Osaka, chasing her first WTA title since the 2021 Australian Open, dominated the first set 6-2, leveraging her signature power and 31 winners. But as Mboko rallied, Osaka’s frustration mounted, evident in a warning for smacking a ball off the court and a cascade of 22 unforced errors. Her runner-up speech, lasting under 30 seconds, reflected her heartbreak: “Thanks, I guess. I don’t really want to take up too much time. I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organizers, and volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.” The omission of Mboko’s name, especially poignant given Mboko’s pre-match revelation that Osaka was her idol, sparked outrage. “But the way Naomi handled it in the end, was a little 😳,” former pro Rennae Stubbs posted online, calling it “sad” that Osaka didn’t acknowledge Mboko’s historic win. Fans echoed the sentiment, with one lamenting, “It really wasn’t nice that she didn’t congratulate Victoria Mboko in her speech.”
Mboko, however, rose above the snub with remarkable poise. “No, I didn’t really get a chance to speak with her after the game, but I was kind of really caught up in everything that was happening after the match,” she said in her press conference. “If that was her wishes, then I respect it as well. I mean, I still think Naomi is an incredible player, and it doesn’t ever change what I think of her. I think she’s still a really nice girl. I still look up to her.” Her words echoed the admiration she expressed before the final, when she learned Osaka was touched by being her idol. “I don’t think that’s ever happened. I’m shook,” Osaka had laughed, adding, “That’s my little twin, because we both have our blue dresses and our buns and everything. I’m really honored.” Mboko’s graciousness, even in the face of Osaka’s oversight, highlighted her character, earning praise from peers like Andreescu, who called her “a true champion.”
Osaka later clarified her actions, admitting her emotions overwhelmed her. “I think it’s kind of funny. This morning I was very grateful, I don’t know why my emotions flipped so quickly, but I’m really happy to have played the final,” she said in written comments to the press, having skipped the post-match press conference. “I completely forgot to congratulate Victoria Mboko. I think she played really well.” Her collaboration with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, formerly Iga Swiatek’s mentor, showed promise in Montreal, where she reached her first WTA 1000 final since 2022. “It was a really good first tournament, and I hope that we can continue,” she noted, looking ahead to Cincinnati.
Mboko’s triumph, which vaulted her to No. 24 in the WTA rankings, sets the stage for a seeded US Open campaign. “I think my biggest takeaway is the sky’s the limit,” she said, her humility intact despite a 52-9 record in 2025. As both players head to Cincinnati—Mboko facing Diana Shnaider and Osaka meeting Linda Nosková—the controversy fades against the backdrop of Mboko’s meteoric rise and Osaka’s ongoing redemption arc. Mboko’s ability to honor her idol while celebrating her own historic moment proves she’s not just a champion, but a class act poised to shape tennis’s future.
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