Playing on a wildcard, Mboko produced a shock run by defeating four former grand slam champions: Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Osaka. Gauff and Rybakina were the top and third seeds, respectively. This is the first time a teenage player has achieved this feat since Serena Williams in 1999.

Mboko celebrates her first WTA title at the center court in Montreal, Canada on 7/8. Photo: Reuters

Mboko celebrates her first WTA title at the center court in Montreal, Canada on 7/8. Photo: Reuters

Beginning 2025 ranked 333rd in the world, Mboko will rise to 34th in the WTA rankings after this victory, a jump of 51 places. She also becomes the third home player to win the Canadian Open in the Open Era, following Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019).

In the final, Mboko capitalized on eight of nine break points, winning after a closely contested three sets with a total of 13 breaks in 25 games. This is only the sixth time in history that a WTA 1000 final has featured two players outside the world's top 40.

"I've always looked up to Naomi since I was little, so it was really special to play against her," Mboko said during the award ceremony. This victory also makes Mboko the third wildcard in history to win a WTA 1000 event, following Maria Sharapova (Cincinnati 2011) and Bianca Andreescu (Indian Wells 2019).

Mboko's parents are both from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She made her grand slam debut at Roland Garros this year, with two wins over Lulu Sun and Eva Lys, before losing to 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the third round.

In 2025, Mboko has won 51 of 59 matches at all levels in just over seven months. She won 22 consecutive matches earlier in the season, mostly at Challenger events, and claimed four ITF titles. The Canadian Open is the 18-year-old's first WTA Tour title.

Vy Anh