Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko saved a match point on the way to a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Wednesday to reach the final of the WTA Canadian Open.
Comeback complete for the wild card. Victoria Mboko is heading to the finals! ✨ pic.twitter.com/IX0aCquFSj
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 7, 2025
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 semifinal.
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.
ALLEZ VICKY 💪
— wta (@WTA) August 7, 2025
Following an EPIC three setter, Victoria Mboko rallies back to defeat Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) to reach her first WTA final!#OBN25 pic.twitter.com/1iP9zIHzNw
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 d. Elena Rybakina 1-6 7-5 7-6(4) in Montreal
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 7, 2025
Unreal.
Match point saved.
Down 3-5 in the 3rd set.
18 year old Victoria is into her first career final, and it’s a WTA 1000 in front of her home crowd.
Oh yeah… did I mention she beat 3 Grand Slam Champions this week?… pic.twitter.com/UDhp5TKcH3
Mboko, playing in just her third 1000-level event, will play the winner of the second-semifinal 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 semifinals with wins over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys.