Teenaged Canadian's major victory raises tennis profile in Edmonton
Victoria Mboko won the National Bank Open women's tennis final last week for her first Women's Tennis Association title. The 18-year-old, who was born in North Carolina and hails from Burlington, Ont., beat four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka on Thursday to win the final match on home soil in Montreal.
As a result, Mboko rose 61 places in the world women's rankings to No. 24.
Yosabeth Agonafer of the Alberta-based group Black Girls in Tennis says Mboko's victory on Canadian soil paves the way for more representation of Black Canadian women in tennis.
'It wasn't just about her winning. It was also inspiring for a lot of young women, especially women of colour,' Agonafer said last week. 'Watching a young Canadian win the title on Canadian soil, I think it's pretty amazing … It's so powerful because it does pave the way for bigger things.'
Mboko
Victoria Mboko of Canada lifts the trophy following her win over Naomi Osaka of Japan during finals tennis action at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
(Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
At a youth tennis camp in south Edmonton, program coordinator Shaylea Mohr said Monday that Mboko's victory inspires children to take up the sport and encourage them to stick with it.
'We're trying to keep it lifelong,' Mohr told CTV News Edmonton. 'We want kids either from an early age or a young age ... and we can foster them all the way to 17 with youth programs, and then even through adult(hood).'
Nolan Sax, a coach at the week-long youth camp being held at the Garneau Tennis Club, said youth who have a young tennis star to look up to can leave a great impression on them.
'I remember being a kid and watching Milos Raonic and other Canadians, and watching them play was so inspirational,' Sax told CTV News Edmonton.
'It made me want to work harder. It felt great to feel like you're a part of something, part of Canadian history, and you want to be that next step.'
'It made me want to work harder. It felt great to feel like you're a part of something, part of Canadian history, and you want to be that next step.'
— Nolan Sax, tennis coach
Elio Cajo, 12, said he was 'Excited and happy' about Mboko's win.
'The more you see games, the more you get excited to do the sport,' said Cajo, a participant in the camp.
Agonafer said many girls of colour look up to athletes like Serena and Venus Williams and Coco Gauff, and it's inspiring to see a Black Canadian player succeed on a big stage.
'It's not (just about) her winning. It is visibility, it's the validation, it's opening doors for young women, for women of colour,' she said. 'I think it just opens the stage globally and shows that it is possible (to win), that excellence has no limits.'
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach and The Canadian Press
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