WTA 1000 Montreal: A Mboko-Osaka Final Showdown in Canada

Similar to the men’s tournament in Toronto, the women’s semifinals also took place overnight from Wednesday to Thursday at the WTA 1000 in Montreal. Victoria Mboko’s fairy-tale run continues all the way to the final.

Ranked 85th in the world at the start of the tournament, the 18-year-old Canadian staged a comeback against Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. The Kazakh player, who had a strong start to the match, even held a match point, but after a tense battle, Mboko ultimately had the final say (1-6, 7-5, 7-6 in 2h51).

Defeated by Rybakina in Washington just a few days ago, Mboko—who will break into the top 40 at the end of this tournament—got her revenge and secured her first-ever career final, just days before her 19th birthday.

After victories against Birrell, Kenin, Bouzkova, Gauff, Bouzas Maneiro, and now Rybakina, the Charlotte, North Carolina native is just one win away from claiming a WTA 1000 title. In her quest to triumph in front of her home crowd, Mboko will face Naomi Osaka.

Since saving three match points against Samsonova in the second round, the Japanese star has been unstoppable. Following swift wins over Ostapenko, Sevastova, and Svitolina, Osaka defeated Clara Tauson—who had previously knocked out Swiatek and Keys in the last two rounds—in straight sets (6-2, 7-6 in 1h45).

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who announced the end of her collaboration with Patrick Mouratoglou just before the Canadian tournament, will re-enter the top 30 for the first time since her return from pregnancy. A victory would earn her a third WTA 1000 title, after Indian Wells 2018 and Beijing 2019.