Canadian tennis sensation Victoria Mboko defied the odds and won her first Women’s Tennis Association title in the Canadian Open final, defeating seven-time WTA title winner Naomi Osaka. According to the BBC, the Thursday match wasn’t an easy one for the 18-year-old, who had a slow start with 22 unforced errors in the first set before finding her stride later in the game.
Here’s what to know about her career-defining win.
Mboko wins final as crowd chanted ‘Allez Vicky’
The beginning of the match was a challenge for Mboko, whose slow start encouraged Osaka to take the first set in just 38 minutes. Seven serve breaks marked a rollercoaster of a second set for Mboko, but she managed to regain control with a break to lead 5-2.
The break flipped when Mboko landed three double faults, but she wasn’t ready to give up yet, pushing a decider ahead of holding her next service game.
The third set opened with Mboko breaking to love, though Osaka was ready for the attack. But the 18-year-old prevailed and went on to win the final five games. As she secured her win, the crowd chanted, “Allez Vicky.”
After the match, Mboko said, “It’s been an incredible week here in Montreal … je vous aime!” Yahoo! News reported.
Mboko’s win makes her the third Canadian to win the Canadian Open, following Bianca Andreescu in 2019 and Faye Urban in 1969, and the first to snag the title in Montreal.
Mboko’s win paused the men’s match
Mboko’s big win was so thrilling that it even impacted the men’s match, which paused as the crowd roared following the 18-year-old’s triumph. The pause was particularly perplexing to American tennis star Ben Shelton, who faced Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the National Bank Open.
On the court, he appeared to ask, “What’s going on?” before turning to the chair umpire.
He later congratulated Mboko on her first WTA win.
“I had no idea what was going on at the time 😂 but Toronto went nuts for you 🙏🏾,” he wrote in part on Instagram Stories.
Mboko said she ‘never thought’ she would make it to the final
In addition to thanking the crowd, Mboko opened up about her nerves leading up to the big match, the BBC reported.
“I was super happy to be playing in Montreal for the first time ever. I just remember feeling nervous, but really taking in the moment as much as I possibly could,” she said.
She also shared that she didn’t think she’d make it to the final.
“When I won my first round, I was super happy and super content. I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament,” Mboko added.
The moment is so big, Mboko said the rush of emotion is indescribable.
“I have so many emotions going through my head, I can’t even express it,” she said.
