Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko defeated four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday, ending a fairytale run at the Canadian Open with her maiden WTA title.
At 18 years old and competing in her first WTA final, Mboko prevented Osaka from securing her first tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, outlasting the 27-year-old Japanese, who has faced challenges in finding rhythm after returning from maternity leave earlier in 2024.
Starting the season ranked outside the top 300 and advancing to 85th place before the week began, Mboko is now anticipated to rise to 34th in world rankings.
Before an excited centre-court crowd of 11,000, she converted eight of her nine break points, marking her fourth victory of the week against a Grand Slam champion.
It feels unbelievable right now, Mboko said, adding that words cannot really describe how the day went.