MONTREAL — MbokoMania is alive and well.
Victoria Mboko’s remarkable run at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers will now see her go to the semifinals after the 18-year-old Canadian beat Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 on Monday before another partisan crowd at IGA Stadium.
Two days after her stunning win over top seed Coco Gauff, Mboko wasn’t as dominant. But she still had more than enough to take out the world No. 51, avoiding a letdown in a match in which Mboko was favoured.
“I keep surprising myself,” Mboko said in an on-court interview with Sportsnet’s Danielle Michaud after Monday’s win.
Mboko will return to her underdog role in Wednesday’s semifinal against No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Rybakina was up 6-2, 2-1 in her quarterfinal against Marta Kostyuk before the Ukrainian retired because of an apparent arm injury.
Ranked 85th before the tournament, Mboko is now guaranteed of reaching the top 50 after this event. She could get in the top 25 if she wins the tournament.
And that’s not impossible. None of the top five seeds reached the quarterfinals, opening the door for other players.
Mboko will also earn at least $206,100 for reaching the semifinals in what is just her seventh WTA Tour main draw event.
Ranked outside the top 300 heading into the year, Mboko started 2025 by dominating at lower levels before getting her shot on tour. She’s now 51-9 on the season.
Mboko started the second set slowly, losing on serve in the first game, but recovered to break Bouzas Maneiro for a third time to tie it at 2-2.
The next service game was a statement game for the Canadian, who blasted an ace and a service winner to finish it, drawing a huge roar from the crowd. Another break followed, giving Mboko the edge she needed to take it home.
Mboko took the first set after breaking Bouzas Maneiro in her final two service games.
A punishing backhand in the final game, after struggling with the shot for much of the first set, gave Mboko a 15-40 edge. She finished it on the next point on a Bouzas Maneiro unforced error, to the delight of a roaring crowd.
In a match featuring players on this stage for the first time, perhaps it shouldn’t have been all that surprising to see a first set filled with unforced errors.
Mboko didn’t have the same commanding performance, but still showcased some of her trademark attributes – including five service winners after falling behind 15-40 in one game to avoid a break.
Meanwhile, Mboko, if she wants, is expected to get into the Cincinnati Open, which starts later this week, on a special exemption. She would have had to qualify to get in Tuesday and Wednesday, but Mboko couldn’t have made it because of her deep run at the NBO.