After winning a WTA 1000 tournament at the age of 18, Victoria Mboko knows her life is about to change.

“I understand why there would be such a noise around it,” she told reporters Thursday night. “But you know, I like to keep things very simple. I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself just because of something that happened this week, because life goes on.

“There’s always another tournament, whether I win or lose. I’m just happy to live the moment. Once it’s passed, it’s passed.”

It will be difficult, however, to forget this one.

For the third time in Montreal’s Omnium Banque Nationale, the Canadian wild card came back to win after dropping the first set — this time against Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. It was her first WTA Tour-level title, and she defeated four former Grand Slam champions in the process, including No. 1 seed Coco Gauff and No. 3 Elena Rybakina.

Mboko felt fortunate to be even playing in the final after falling in the semifinal against Rybakina and injuring her right wrist. It was still swollen Thursday morning but an MRI at the local hospital cleared her for play.

“Once we got the green light that nothing too serious was going on in the wrist, I came here and practiced real fast,” she said. “So I think today regarding all the events that I did, it feels a lot sweeter.”

Hours after her breakthrough victory, Mboko shared her thoughts with wtatennis.com.

Processing the moment

How do you put into words what happened tonight?

Mboko: Well, I mean, it was a very eventful night, to be honest. I feel super happy that I came out with the victory, especially in my home country. It’s funny, I don’t have many words to say because there are so many emotions going through me right now — there’s just so much happening. I’m just enjoying the moment for now, and maybe when it wears off I’ll realize what just happened.

The rise and the reward

You started the year ranked No. 333. Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams that you’d be a WTA 1000 champion?

Mboko: Never, I never ever would have thought that this would happen so fast like this. I always believed I could do it sometime in the future. But I would have never thought that it would be in 2025 and come so soon. So, it’s just been amazing.

In good company 🤝

Victoria Mboko becomes the second-youngest player in the Open Era to defeat four Grand Slam
champions in a single tournament, older only than Serena Williams at the US Open 1999.#OBN25 pic.twitter.com/60jJ0oPx1p

— wta (@WTA) August 8, 2025

As you were playing ITF W35s at the beginning of the year, what were your specific goals?

Mboko: You know what? I feel like I’m a really simple person. I really don’t like to put goals on myself. Because you really never know what’s going to happen. I’m a person that loves to live in the moment. The future could look really positive or really negative, so whenever I set goals for myself and don’t come to the expectations that I wanted for myself, you feel disappointed a little bit and you’re not so happy. Just like this week, where I never expected that I was going to win. I also could have lost first round. So, yeah, I like to keep things very simple and calm and I feel like that’s when I’m able to have my best performance.

What did it mean to do this in the only WTA Tour event played in Canada?

Mboko: I mean, it’s a big deal for me. Ever since I started playing on the pro circuit, they’ve had only Montreal and Toronto. So, to capture a title here like this is just amazing.

Adapting under pressure

How much did your injured wrist limit you physically during the match?

Mboko: Because I kind of went into the match a little disappointed, a little worried about my wrist, I put more emphasis on my legs. I wanted to make sure I was very active. If I couldn’t be active, I would have to compensate with my legs. I knew Naomi was hitting pretty hard shots — I knew I could replicate what she was bringing out – so I just wanted to make sure I was retrieving as much as I could, running down every one of her shots.

You lost the first set by a lot in three matches — against Marie Bouzkova, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka — what did you tell yourself that got you back into it?

Mboko: It’s not over until it’s over and I always want to keep fighting as much as I can. When I lost the first set of those matches, I just wanted to regroup as best I could, always find a way to come back. I just try to change my mentality and stay in there.

What’s next

You will be ranked No. 24 in the world Friday …

Mboko: Wow, that’s amazing.

How does that change your short-term and long-term goals? Clearly your life is about to change.

Mboko: [Laughing] I mean, I don’t have time to really look at the rankings. But that obviously puts a lot of things into perspective. I would never have thought I’d be in the 20s this year, to be honest. That’s a huge milestone for me. Then again, I still don’t like to put huge goals on myself because I don’t know what’s going to happen.

What will the next week look like for you?

Mboko: I will not be playing Cincinnati. I’ll just go home [to Toronto] and rest up a little bit. I’m going to take care of my wrist. Just do some prevention and recovery and prepare for what’s to come.