Victoria Mboko is a name that Canadians should get used to hearing.
The 18-year-old was able to make history on Thursday, pulling off an upset win (2-6, 6-4, 6-1) over Naomi Osaka to win the National Bank Open. By doing so, she became only the second Canadian to win the NBO over the last 56 years, with Bianca Andreescu also winning it in 2019.
It’s been quite the year for Mboko, who wasn’t ranked entering 2025. Heading into the NBO, however, she came in at No. 85 and has climbed up the ranks drastically following Thursday night’s massive victory.
The Burlington, Ontario, native has climbed 61 spots to now be listed at No. 24 in the world. That has her one spot ahead of Osaka, who also took a massive leap by going from No. 45 to No. 25.
All of a sudden, Mboko, who will turn 19 on Aug. 26, is the highest-ranked female singles tennis player in Canada. That had been held by 22-year-old Leylah Fernandez, who has now been bumped back two spots to No. 26.
Mboko is now also the highest-ranked Canadian singles player for both men and women, as Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest in the men’s category at No. 28, while Denis Shapovalov trails him narrowly at No. 30.
As big of a win as it was for Mboko on Thursday, it didn’t come without some controversy, as Osaka was blasted by many after failing to congratulate Mboko in a brief on-court interview. The 27-year-old did apologize shortly afterward, however, saying that she completely forgot to address the budding Canadian star, while also mentioning that she “did really amazing.”
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