Montreal, Canada – Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Canadian teenage sensation Victoria Mboko have booked their spots in the championship showdown at the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal, following hard-fought semifinal wins on Wednesday.
Osaka’s Resurgent Run Continues
Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who is vying for her first tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, displayed tenacity in her 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) victory over Denmark’s Clara Tauson. Tauson had previously upset Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys in earlier rounds.
Osaka, showing renewed energy after a recent coaching change and her return from maternity leave in 2024, controlled the first set. In the second, despite Tauson regaining a break twice and holding two set points in the tiebreaker (leading 6-4), Osaka held firm. She saved one match point before winning the final two points to seal her victory, reaching her first WTA 1000 level final since Miami in 2022.
Mboko’s Fairytale Journey to Her First WTA Final
Home crowd favorite Victoria Mboko, an 18-year-old wild card, continued her dream run by saving a match point en route to a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) comeback win against former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Mboko, who had already stunned top-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, fed off the enthusiastic support of the Montreal crowd. Despite a tumble in the third set that left her with a sore right wrist, she refused to yield. After going down an early break and facing a match point, she broke Rybakina in the 10th game to level the third set. Although Rybakina broke back immediately, Mboko broke the ninth seed at love to force the decisive tiebreaker, where she ultimately prevailed.
Mboko’s meteoric rise this season is remarkable; she started the year ranked outside the top 300 but had climbed to 85th coming into this week. Regardless of the final outcome against Osaka, she is guaranteed to break into the top 40, marking a significant milestone in her burgeoning career.
The highly anticipated championship match between the experienced former world No. 1 and the rising Canadian star will conclude the WTA Canadian Open, which runs from July 27 to August 7, 2025.
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