Victoria Mboko is the latest Canadian Open champion, having beaten Naomi Osaka in the final to claim the crown.
It was a tough, battling performance against a four-time Grand Slam champion, and effectively summed up her entire tournament, as she faced down a player with vastly more experience winning the sport’s elite honours, yet remained unbothered.
They were just another bump on the road for this unflinching 18-year-old sensation, who is deservedly now a Masters 1000 title-holder.
Naomi Osaka was not the only titan she felled on her way to the trophy, with Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina, both former Grand Slam champions, well beaten.
However, there was likely a fear that the final could not have been played, especially after what Victoria Mboko revealed happened the morning of it.
Victoria Mboko explains surprise hospital trip
Speaking to the press, this young Canadian made a startling revelation, revealing a hospital trip that few saw coming.
She had taken a tumble in her semifinal win over Rybakina, but few expected it to have been that damaging. And yet, she woke up in need of a scan.
Mboko told the Canadian Open press: “Yeah, I mean, it feels unbelievable right now. I mean, words cannot really describe how today went. Today was such an eventful day, actually.
“I woke up this morning, and I actually had my wrist a little bit swollen from yesterday’s fall, and we quickly went to the hospital actually to do an MRI and an X-ray before I came to the courts to practice today.
“So once we got the green light that nothing too serious was going on in the wrist, I came here and practised real fast and prepared for my match. So I think today, regarding all the events that I did, it feels a lot sweeter (smiling).”
Asked to expand on the injury, and if she felt scared about her ability to play, Mboko continued: “Yeah, well, I mean, I was pretty nervous, I could say, especially when I woke up this morning. It was pretty swollen, and it was really stiff and hard to move. So we decided to go to do an MRI and an X-ray just to make sure that nothing too serious was happening, that I could have the possibility of playing.
“Yeah, when I got the green light, I just had to make sure I saw the physios, and we taped it up properly before the match and a very solid tape job. Yeah, I just did as much as I could to prepare for the match.”
She finished by stating whether her wrist had impacted the final at all: “Yeah, I mean, I did feel it a little bit during the match. I wouldn’t say I didn’t feel it at all.
“There’s obviously some moments where it was aggravating me a lot, but I feel like it was the final. I just kept saying to myself, You have one more to go. I had, of course, the extra motivation from the crowd as well to keep pushing.
“Yeah, I mean, I tried to block it out of my head as much as possible.”
Naomi Osaka has rediscovered her winning form
It feels refreshing to see a new wave of talent enter the sport, but at the same time, this week has been nice to see the Japanese superstar return to form too.
That is, despite Osaka having been slammed for failing to congratulate Mboko in her post-match speech.
After all, the 27-year-old has endured a troubled time on tour ever since returning from her spell on the sidelines, failing to recapture the form that saw her become the dominant force on hard courts.
During that period, she won four Grand Slam titles, and looked unstoppable. Since then, she has failed to pick up a regular run of wins at barely any tournaments.
This event in Montreal marked the first time since her 2021 Australian Open title that she has won six matches in a row.
Hopefully, it can provide the spark that returns her to her best, just in time for the US Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
