Canadian teen Mboko beats Rybakina to reach WTA Montreal final
Mboko, who ousted top-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, didn't let it stop her.
After going down an early break in the third set she refused to go quietly, loading up on her forehand fending off a match point as she broke Rybakina in the 10th game to level the set.
A couple of untimely double faults helped ninth-seeded Rybakina break back for a 6-5 lead, but the ninth seed from Kazakhstan was broken at love in the next game, setting the stage for a gritty tiebreaker.
"Anything can happen," an exhausted Mboko beamed as the crowd's cheers rained down on her. "Unfortunately I fell, but I had everyone supporting me and pushing me."
Mboko, playing in just her third 1000-level event, will play the winner of the second-semi-final between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan and Denmark's Clara Tauson.
Osaka, still seeking to find consistency since returning from maternity leave in 2024, arrived in Montreal ranked 49th in the world.
She'll face a tough challenge in Tauson, who reached the semi-finals with wins over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
41 minutes ago
- France 24
Nice falls to Benfica (0-2) in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round
Also in this newscast: PSG returns to training, Liverpool targets Bradley Barcola, Thomas Müller signs with Vancouver, Victoria Mboko stuns at the Montreal WTA 1000, Paul Lapeira crashes at the Tour of Poland, and Donald Trump launches a task force for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Khachanov topples Zverev to reach ATP Toronto final
The 11th seed from Russia, who had lost two previous semi-finals in Canada, will play his 11th career ATP final against either Taylor Fritz or Ben Shelton, who met later in an all-America semi-final. The Fritz-Shelton match was paused before the start due to a problem with the electronic linecalling system which now controls all aspects of matches. The pair were sent off court with no immediate indication as to when they could return to start play. Khachanov saved a match point as he levelled the deciding set at 6-6, with world number three Zverev hammering a backhand into the top tape of the net. The German committed 44 unforced errors in the nearly three-hour defeat while Khachanov had 29 winners and 34 uforced errors. "I had to work out this match, dig deep and try my best," Khachanov said. "It was very demanding physically and mentally. "We've had a lot of matches and I'm happy to beat him after losing some easy ones," addd Khachanov. "Today was a tough one - I was match point down. "I'm just happy things went on my side at the end." Khachanov said it got tense at the end. "When you reach the final tiebreak, you have to play your best. You can't waste time and energy with negative thoughts or you won't succeed. You never know what will happen but you have to give it a try." Khachanov will be playing his first final of the season after semi-final defeats in Barcelona and Halle. He took control of the opening set with a break in the fourth game and held onto his margin as he ran his lead out to 5-2. Khachanov needed three set points a game later to prevail and in the second set Zverev held his nerve as he struggled to start his fightback, finally sweeping the last eight points of the set to level the match.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Canadian teen Mboko beats Rybakina to reach WTA Montreal final
The 18-year-old fed off the energy of the crowd, crediting ecstatic supporters with carrying her through after a tumble left her with a sore right wrist in the third set of her first tour-level semi-final. Mboko, who ousted top-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, didn't let it stop her. After going down an early break in the third set she refused to go quietly, loading up on her forehand fending off a match point as she broke Rybakina in the 10th game to level the set. A couple of untimely double faults helped ninth-seeded Rybakina break back for a 6-5 lead, but the ninth seed from Kazakhstan was broken at love in the next game, setting the stage for a gritty tiebreaker. "Anything can happen," an exhausted Mboko beamed as the crowd's cheers rained down on her. "Unfortunately I fell, but I had everyone supporting me and pushing me." Mboko, playing in just her third 1000-level event, will play the winner of the second-semi-final between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan and Denmark's Clara Tauson. Osaka, still seeking to find consistency since returning from maternity leave in 2024, arrived in Montreal ranked 49th in the world. She'll face a tough challenge in Tauson, who reached the semi-finals with wins over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys.
