Who is Victoria Mboko, the teenage tennis sensation lighting up the Canadian Open?
There were Grand Slam champions. There were tour veterans chasing one more shot at glory. There were fans thronging over the railings at Montreal's IGA Stadium.
And then there was Victoria Mboko.
At just 18, she'll step onto centre court on Thursday (6 p.m., SN, TVA Sports) chasing her first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) title and aiming to become the first Canadian to win the tournament since Bianca Andreescu in 2019. Standing in her way is four-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 49 Naomi Osaka.
It's been a fearless run. Ranked No. 85 before the tournament began, Mboko has stormed into the final as a wild card, knocking out Kimberly Birrell, Sofia Kenin, Marie Bouzkova, Coco Gauff, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Elena Rybakina along the way.
Who is this breakout star?
Born on Aug. 26, 2006, to Congolese parents in Charlotte, N.C., Mboko moved to Toronto with her family when she was two months old.
She grew up in a tennis household. Her three older siblings played, and she picked up a racquet at age three.
She made her WTA debut in 2022 at age 15 and won her first International Tennis Federation title that year in Saskatoon, successfully defending it in 2023.
This year, Mboko reached the third round of the French Open in her Grand Slam debut, secured her first main-draw win at Wimbledon and broke into the top 100 before receiving a wild-card entry for the Canadian Open.
What tournaments has she won?
ITF W25 Saskatoon Challenger – 2022
ITF W60 Saskatoon Challenger – 2023
ITF W35 Darmstadt, Germany – 2024
ITF W35 Le Lamentin (Martinique), France – January 2025
ITF W35 Petit-Bourg (Guadeloupe), France – January 2025
ITF W75 Rome, Ga., United States – January 2025
ITF W35 Manchester, U.K. – February 2025
ITF W75 Porto Women's Indoor, Portugal – March 2025
What is her playing style?
Mboko is a right-hander with a two-handed backhand and a game built on power.
Tennis Canada's head of women's tennis, Noëlle van Lottum, told TSN she sees Mboko's style as a blend of Serena Williams and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Her first serve is a major weapon, reaching up to 120 mph. She's fired more than 40 aces in Montreal so far. However, her second serve can still wobble. She double-faulted 11 times against Rybakina in the semifinal.
But her greatest strength might be her composure. In the semis, she fought off a match point and played through a sore wrist after a hard fall early in the third set. But she found a way to win.
Earlier in the tournament, she spoke about staying calm under pressure: 'The human reaction is always to kind of tense up and act out,' she said. 'But I think if I project calmness and relax, I will suddenly also have the same thing in my head.'
What is the tennis world saying?
Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard said Mboko's rise hasn't come as a surprise.
'Anyone who knew her in Canadian tennis would not be surprised. She has so much power to her game. I remember practising with her when she was 14 or 15 years old and she was smacking forehands and bowling me off the court, so we all knew she would be really good,' the Westmount native said.
'She seems to be handling the moment really well, taking it all in her stride and using it as motivation.'
Legendary coach Rick Macci, who has worked with Maria Sharapova and Serena and Venus Williams, was just as glowing.
In a post on X, he wrote: 'She is the real deal. Has the juice off the ground and loves to pound. Produces high-level quality on the run and at 18 her career has just begun.'
'Top 5 is down the street,' he added.
What lies ahead?
Standing between Mboko and a fairy-tale title is 27-year-old Osaka.
She's a former world No. 1, but is unseeded here after taking maternity leave. The two have never played each other.
But whatever happens Thursday evening, a new chapter is beginning for Mboko. She is set to break into the world's top 40 and could crack the top 30 with a win.
Helping guide her is former world No. 3 and Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, who coached Mboko as a junior and rejoined her team this year.
Tauziat has warned against letting early success derail long-term focus: 'When we succeed, we earn more money, more people are around us, life changes. Life changes and that's normal, but you have to manage that to maintain the composure that she has today.'
For now, Mboko is still soaking in the moment.
'The words cannot even describe how I feel right now,' she told Sportsnet's Danielle Michaud on court after winning her semifinal.
'If you'd told me last year I'd be in the Canadian Open final, I'd have said you were crazy.
I'm truly a believer that you can do anything you aspire to do. The sky's always the limit.'
This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 1:59 PM.
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