The Canadian Open was the venue where a homegrown talent showcased her qualities in the best possible way.
Victoria Mboko entered her home tournament searching for her first title on the WTA Tour, and she defied the odds to win the title.
The 18-year-old defeated the likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and then Naomi Osaka in the final to become champion.
Mboko is now ranked inside the world’s top 25, just seven months after starting the season ranked outside the top 300, and she does not plan on stopping there.
Canadian Open tournament director Karl Hale thinks Victoria Mboko will be a top five player in 2026
Mboko’s meteoric rise in 2025 has been received with plenty of buzz and excitement around the tennis world.
She possesses a powerful and athletic game in addition to a strong and resolute mindset that helped Mboko win the title in Montreal and overcome any adversity she faced.
Given what he has seen from Mboko this year, Canadian Open tournament director Karl Hale thinks Mboko will be a top five player by the time the WTA Tour heads to Toronto in 2026.
“I think she will be ranked five [by next year’s tournament]. It’s more than her game, there are a lot of good games out there,” he said via The Slice Tennis podcast.
“Her attitude, Jimmy Arias was telling me a story that she was 12 years old at IMG, he does a drill for the new kids saying that if you hit 100 balls in a row I will give you five bucks, so when they get to 90 they start firing the balls hard and slicing.
“He was like 90 and then 91 and he hits a slice, 92 was a Canadian choke and 93 he was talking cr—. She gets to 100 and he was laughing and giggling, he couldn’t believe it.
“And she walks up to him and goes, ‘where is my five bucks?’ That is all she said. Her mindset is different. She is very stoic and has that eye of the tiger, she definitely has that. I think she is going to be number one. That is my prediction.”
Karl Hale wants Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2026 Canadian Open
There was plenty of conversation surrounding the Canadian Open following the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Plenty of star power was missing from the event, but some great matches were played and Ben Shelton lifted the title in Toronto after beating Karen Khachanov in the final.
But Hale is looking ahead and he has already held conversations with Alcaraz and Sinner about playing in Canada in 12 months’ time, and he is optimistic about their appearance.
“I would have Sinner and Alcaraz come! I actually told them because we were in talks when they withdrew and we talked to them for several days,” Hale told the Nothing Major podcast.
“I said ‘okay, we are here in 2026. You’re going to be in Montreal. And just make sure that happens!’ I am very, very confident that they will be in Montreal next year.
“I do not think it’s an issue because of what we are doing with the Tours and bonus pools and all of those things and also the three weeks between our tournaments next year.”
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