Latest news with #WTA1000NationalBankOpen
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Montreal protagonists Mboko, Osaka out of Cincinnati Open
MONTREAL: Victoria Mboko of Canada addresses the spectators following her victory against Naomi Osaka of Japan during the Women's Singles Final match on day twelve of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium in Montreal. - AFP CINCINNATI: WTA Montreal tournament champion Victoria Mboko and beaten finalist Naomi Osaka officially withdrew on Friday from the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open in decisions openly telegraphed after their Thursday night final in Canada. Mboko, the 18-year-old Canadian who electrified Montreal with her run to a first WTA title, cited the wrist injury she suffered in the semi-finals while four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka blamed a 'schedule change' for her absence. Cincinnati tournament officials said the pair had received byes into the second round due to their performances at the previous event. The withdrawals vaulted four lucky losers from qualifying into the first round of the main draw of the last major event prior to the August 25 start of the US Open. After defeating Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the Montreal title, Mboko revealed that the swelling in her wrist had been bad enough on Thursday morning to prompt her to have an MRI exam before the evening final. 'I woke up this morning, and I actually had my wrist a little bit swollen from (Wednesday's) fall,' she said. 'We quickly went to the hospital for an MRI and an X-ray before I came to the courts to practice.' Mboko said she and her team eventually 'got the green light that nothing too serious was going on in the wrist.' But she said Thursday night that she expected to give Cincinnati a miss. 'I'm not planning on playing Cincinnati at the moment. I just want to take care of my wrist a little bit right now,' she said. 'It's just very close and sudden for me to go there and play again (in), like, two days. 'I think I'm just going to sit out on that one and prepare for the upcoming tournaments.' Osaka was less definite, but said she was 'teeter-tottering'. 'It's going to be interesting to see, yeah, what my next match is and how I'm going to play,' the former world number one said. — AFP
Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Rybakina faces teen Mboko in Canadian Open semis
MONTREAL: Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine forfeits her match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan due to injury during their quarterfinals singles women's match on Day Nine of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium on August 4, 2025.- AFP MONTREAL: Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, and Canadian teen Victoria Mboko advanced to a WTA Canadian Open semi-final matchup with triumphs on Monday in the Montreal hard court event. World number 12 Rybakina of Kazakhstan led 6-1, 2-1 when Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk retired in the second set with a wrist injury. Mboko, the shocker of the event, dispatched Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 by taking the final six games to reach her first WTA 1000 semi-final in pursuit of her first trip to a WTA final. 'I'm so excited to be in the semi-final here,' Mboko told the supportive home nation crowd. 'I want to thank everyone for your support once again. It has been unreal.' Rybakina won their only prior meeting 6-3, 7-5 last month in the second round at Washington. The top five seeds and seven of the top 10 seeds were ousted before the quarter-finals, opening the door for such upstarts as 18-year-old Mboko, who eliminated top seed Coco Gauff. World number 85 Mboko, who began the year raked 333rd in the world, has ensured herself a jump into the top 50 for the first time in her career next week. Mboko broke 51st-ranked Bouzas Maneiro for a 5-3 lead. The Spaniard broke back in the ninth game only to drop the first set after 43 minutes when Mboko broke again. Bouzas Maneiro broke to open the second set then held but Mboko never dropped a game from there, taking the match after 77 minutes when the Spaniard sent a backhand beyond the baseline. The crowd, which chanted 'it's not over' in French after the match, has been the best part of the amazing run, Mboko said. 'I train here (in Canada) and it's always a great opportunity to be here,' Mboko said. 'My first time playing in Montreal has been an unreal experience and I couldn't be more grateful.' Rybakina, seeded ninth, seeks her third WTA title after Rome and Indian Wells in 2023. She has not reached a final since last year at Miami. Rybakina broke 24th-seeded Kostyuk to open the match and led 2-1 when Kostyuk received medical treatment on her right wrist and forearm. Kostyuk netted a backhand to surrender a break in the fifth game and Rybakina broke again to claim the first set in 37 minutes when Kostyuk sent a forehand long. In the second set, Rybakina held twice before Kostyuk retired after 54 minutes due to her wrist issues, walking off the court in tears. — AFP
Express Tribune
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Canadian teen Mboko stuns top-seeded Gauff
Victoria Mboko celebrates a victory against Coco Gauff during their fourth round singles match of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium. PHOTO: GETTY/AFP Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko took down top-seeded American Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday, thrilling the home crowd as she reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal. The 18-year-old wild card saved all four break points she faced, and broke reigning French Open champion Gauff three times on the way to a comprehensive victory in just 62 minutes. "I don't even know what to say still, I was kind of shocked about it all," said Mboko, adding that the support of the home crowd had buoyed her late in the second set. "I just remember in the last game when I was up 5-4, the crowd kind of started cheering even louder, and everything got super noisy," she said. "I kind of used that as more fuel for myself and to pump myself up a little bit more. "I think it helped me tremendously, especially in the last game, since they were so encouraging me. It was just amazing." Mboko started the season ranked 333rd in the world and has worked her way up to 85 but the win over Gauff — who she took to three sets in Rome in May — is the biggest win of her career. "Playing Coco is obviously never easy. She's number two in the world, and it has been such a great opportunity for me to play against someone like her," Mboko said. "I was just happy I kept my composure today and I pulled it through." Gauff, who had a combined 37 double faults as she struggled through her first two matches, was caught flat-footed as the Canadian teen raced through the first set in 25 minutes. Gauff buckled down in the second, but she was unable to convert three break chances in the seventh game -- coming up short on a drop shot and smacking a forehand into the net on the first two. She gained anther chance only to hit a service return long, then flew a volley wide to give Mboko a game point, duly converted when Gauff fired a forehand long. Down 15-30 in the ninth game, Mboko leveled at 30-30 with a blistering backhand, then closed out the hold for a 5-4 lead. Serving to stay in the match, Gauff fell in a quick 0-30 hole and double-faulted to give Mboko a match point, on which the American hit a backhand into the net. "She played a really great match, that's basically it," Gauff said.
Straits Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Naomi Osaka to work with Tomasz Wiktorowski on trial after Patrick Mouratoglou split
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Naomi Osaka of Japan plays a forehand against Ariana Arseneault of Canada during their first round match on Day 2 of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open. MONTREAL – Japan's Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, will work with Polish coach Tomasz Wiktorowski on a trial basis after splitting with Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year together. She announced the parting with Frenchman Mouratoglou, the former coach of superstar Serena Williams, on social media on Monday before defeating Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault 6-4, 6-2 in 76 minutes in a first round match at the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal. Osaka, ranked 49th, began working in Canada with Wiktorowski, who coached Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska from 2011-2018, helping her reach the Wimbledon final and world No. 2 ranking in July 2012. Wiktorowski also coached Poland's Iga Swiatek from late 2021 until last October, a run where she won four of her six career Grand Slam singles titles, before adding the most recent at Wimbledon earlier this month. Osaka, who improved to 11-1 in matches against players ranked outside the top 100, will next face 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. They have split four prior meetings but Osaka won the two they played on hardcourts. Former world No. 1 Osaka, 27, began working with Mouratoglou last September. 'Merci Patrick it was such a great experience learning from you,' she posted on social media. 'Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people l've ever met and I'm sure I'll see you around.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thirty dead, over 80,000 evacuated, following heavy rain in Beijing World Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres Business Crypto's comeback: Should Bitcoin and other digital assets be in your portfolio now? Business BYD tops Singapore car sales in first half of 2025 with almost one-fifth of the market Asia Giant algal bloom off South Australia devastates marine life, threatens seafood exports Singapore ST Explains: What we know about the Tanjong Katong sinkhole so far Sport Dare to dream, urges Singapore's first International Swimming Hall of Famer Joseph Schooling Singapore 44 suspects under probe for involvement in SIM card fraud Mouratoglou said on Instagram he was 'grateful for the trust, the journey and what we have built together,' and told Osaka he 'will always root for you.' Under the Frenchman's guidance, Osaka reached the Auckland final in January but retired after the first set with an abdominal injury. She won twice at the Australian Open but retired after the first set in her third match with the same injury. Osaka won her first WTA title since the 2021 Australian Open in May at the L'Open 35 de Saint Malo, but fell in the first round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon. In other news, Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 on Monday in the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world ranking top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from last November. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he dealt out the No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his spot in the Masters main draw. 'I'm very happy with the result,' Schoolkate said. 'I played a good match and made it tricky throughout. 'He's so young (18) but already an established player. I'm looking forward to my next match.' That will be against 2024 Canadian semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi of Italy. AFP
Toronto Sun
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Canada's Victoria Mboko tops Aussie Kimberly Birrell in National Bank Open debut
Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga continued the momentum, defeating Czechia's Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets Published Jul 28, 2025 • 5 minute read Victoria Mboko of Canada plays a backhand against Kimberly Birrell of Australia during their first round match on Day One of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium on July 27, 2025 in Montreal. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images North America MONTREAL — Toronto's Victoria Mboko made good on her first impression in front of the Montreal faithful Sunday in opening-round action at the National Bank Open tennis tournament. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Mboko, making her main draw debut on home soil, powered her way past Australia's Kimberly Birrell 7-5, 6-3 on a scorching afternoon on IGA Stadium's Centre Court. 'Today was really fun,' said Mboko. 'It was a really fun experience playing in front of the Canadian crowd for the first time in Montreal. Playing on the Centre Court was a little bit nervous (for me) at the beginning, but I'd say throughout the match it kind of got better and I felt more confident towards the end.' Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga continued that momentum into the evening session, defeating Czechia's Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 in a battle of former Grand Slam champions. The match, however, almost ended in devastation for Andreescu as she fell to the ground with a left ankle injury while serving for the match. The Canadian received a lengthy medical timeout, but was able to wrap up the match two points later. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'You guys are everything, honestly,' said an emotional Andreescu during an on-court, post-match interview. 'Thank you so, so much. These moments are never easy. I'm just super happy that I was able to pull through and it was thanks to you guys. Thank you so much.' Andreescu was not made available to the media following the match because of the injury. An update is expected on Monday following more extensive medical exams. Mboko utilized her big and powerful service game, hammering 15 aces, which regularly exceeded 180 kilometres per hour. She also mixed in some solid forehand winners to energize the crowd all throughout her 90-plus minutes on court. 'I kind of surprised myself a little bit in the match where I was serving really well,' she said. 'I just wanted to have a really good first serve percentage, honestly in the whole match. I didn't know I was going to serve like that. It gave me a lot of advantages and free points. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I think that also was a big factor in the match to help me gain those points where I really needed them. Hopefully, I can continue like that.' Mboko spent countless moments signing autographs for fans, young and old, awaiting her signature both inside and outside the stadium. She even sprinkled in some French during her on-court post-match interview. 'I know a lot of them were really there just to support me, whether I won or lost a point,' said Mboko. 'I was really grateful for that. I think it really helped me as well to get through the match.' Mboko got off to a strong start, breaking Birrell on the Aussie's opening service game to go up 2-0. However, Birrell immediately broke back the following game. Both players held serve until the set's 12th and final game, with Mboko breaking the serve of her opponent to take the opener 7-5. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mboko was gifted a break in the fourth game of the second set, with Birrell committing a costly double-fault to put the Canadian ahead 3-1. For Mboko, this was an important turning point in her match. 'I think it really made a big difference in the match because if she were to hold, it would be tied in the score,' she said. 'I really wanted to put a lot of emphasis to break her in that moment when I had the chance and to serve really well so I that could have the bigger edge in the match.' Mboko never looked back from there, holding serve three times to pull away with the straight-sets victory. The 18-year-old Mboko, currently ranked No. 88 in the world, was one of seven Canadians awarded a wild card into the WTA 1000 main draw. She has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the WTA rankings in 2025, having started the season as the 350th-ranked player in the world. Mboko improved to 46-8 this season across all competitions thanks to Sunday's victory, which also included a stretch of 22 consecutive match wins — all in straight sets — at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Challenger tour level. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mboko also impressed at the Grand Slam level, qualifying for both the French Open and Wimbledon this season, where she reached the third and second rounds, respectively. Mboko's first-round win sets up a meeting with American Sofia Kenin in the second round. The 23rd-seeded Kenin earned an automatic bye into the second round by virtue of her ranking. Andreescu also conquered the partisan crowd just a few short hours after Mboko did. After a number of tight service games from both sides, Andreescu finally broke through in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. The 2019 U.S. Open champion would go on to take the opening set 6-3. Krejcikova responded well to start the second set, immediately breaking her opponent to pull ahead 2-0. The two-time Grand Slam champion, however, was broken right back three games later and later broken again on her next service game. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Andreescu will look to recover ahead of her scheduled second-round matchup against the fourth-seeded 18-year-old Mira Andreeva. Vancouver's Rebecca Marino capped off the night with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 win over French qualifier Elsa Jacquemot. It was Marino's first WTA Tour-level win since December and first in the first round of the NBO since her run to the third round in 2021. Earlier in the day, Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., opened Centre Court action falling to Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in her first-round match. 'I think I came out pretty strong and played well in the first set,' the 20-year-old Stakusic said. 'She just kept hanging in there. She didn't give me many free points and she served really well. She was pretty level-headed the whole match.' Four more Canadians play their opening-round match in Montreal on Monday, including Eugenie Bouchard, who will kick off the night session against Colombia's Emiliana Arango. Bouchard announced her plans to retire from professional tennis earlier this month at the conclusion of the tournament. Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., who captured the Citi Open title in Washington, D.C., earlier Sunday, is expected to play her first-round match against Australia's Maya Joint on Tuesday. Canada Editorial Cartoons Sunshine Girls Relationships Editorials
