Teenage star Mboko continues giant-killing Montreal run
Two days after ousting No.1 seed Coco Gauff in just 62 minutes, there was no letdown for the 18-year-old from Toronto.
After taking a back-and-forth - and error-filled - first set, Mboko was broken in a sluggish start to the second set but broke back in the fourth and sixth games to take a 4-2 advantage.
Mboko is the first Canadian to reach the WTA 1000 event's semi-finals since Bianca Andreescu's title run in 2019. She's also the youngest woman to reach the semis since Belinda Bencic's 2015 win in Toronto.
Mboko will face Elena Rybakina, who led Marta Kostyuk 6-1 2-1 when the Ukrainian was forced to stop playing because of an apparent arm injury.
Rybakina, the No.9 seed from Kazakhstan, converted three of her 10 break-point chances in the quarter-final matchup at IGA Stadium. The players shook hands at the 54-minute mark before the 24th-seeded Kostyuk exited the court in tears.
After the third game, Kostyu's trainers wrapped her forearm in medical tape.
In a breakthrough year, Mboko has surged from outside the top 300 to a career-high No.85. That number is projected to climb to at least No.55, according to WTA live rankings.
After two injury-plagued years, Mboko, who had shown promise as a junior, opened the season with a 22-match win streak and captured five titles on the lower-tier ITF Tour.
She then qualified for her first grand slam main draw at the French Open, reaching the third round, before stunning 25th-seeded Magdalena Frech in the first round at Wimbledon.
And the upsets keep coming.
In Montreal, Mboko has rattled off wins over 79th-ranked Australian Kimberly Birrell, No.23 seed Sofia Kenin, 39th-ranked Marie Bouzkova and Gauff, who is ranked No. 2.
Her latest victory boosted her record to 25-8 against higher-ranked players and 51-9 in all competitions.
In the other quarter-finals on Tuesday, No.6 seed Madison Keys - the highest-seeded player remaining - faces No.16 Clara Tauson, and former No.1-ranked Naomi Osaka meets No.10 seed Elina Svitolina.
The tournament final is on Thursday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina reveals online hate she received after Canadian Open loss to Naomi Osaka
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada, including messages wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband, the French tennis player Gael Monfils, who is Black. One abuser hoped that Russia "kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians" in the war raging in Svitolina's country. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. "The way you talk to women — to mothers — is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted." Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter told the BBC in an interview that online abuse has become the norm and that she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing that 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from "angry gamblers". Last month, AFL footballers Jase Burgoyne and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera revealed the racist messages they received on Instagram, sparking outrage from their clubs and the league as they looked to identify the culprits. AP/ABC
Canberra Times
10 hours ago
- Canberra Times
Svitolina blames bettors for hateful online abuse
Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she had received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media.
The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Svitolina blames bettors for hateful online abuse
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada. The world No.13 received messages including wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open on Tuesday, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband - French tennis player Gael Monfils who is Black. One abuser hoped Russia "kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians" in the war raging in Svitolina's country. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. "The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted." Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she had received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter, the girlfriend of Australian star Alex de Minaur, told the BBC in an interview online abuse has become the norm and she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from "angry gamblers." Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada. The world No.13 received messages including wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open on Tuesday, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband - French tennis player Gael Monfils who is Black. One abuser hoped Russia "kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians" in the war raging in Svitolina's country. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. "The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted." Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she had received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter, the girlfriend of Australian star Alex de Minaur, told the BBC in an interview online abuse has become the norm and she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from "angry gamblers." Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada. The world No.13 received messages including wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open on Tuesday, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband - French tennis player Gael Monfils who is Black. One abuser hoped Russia "kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians" in the war raging in Svitolina's country. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. "The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted." Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she had received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter, the girlfriend of Australian star Alex de Minaur, told the BBC in an interview online abuse has become the norm and she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from "angry gamblers." Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada. The world No.13 received messages including wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open on Tuesday, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband - French tennis player Gael Monfils who is Black. One abuser hoped Russia "kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians" in the war raging in Svitolina's country. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. "The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted." Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she had received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter, the girlfriend of Australian star Alex de Minaur, told the BBC in an interview online abuse has become the norm and she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from "angry gamblers."
