Canadian teen Mboko into Montreal final as magical run continues

Canadian Vicky Mboko advanced to the National Bank Open final in Montreal with a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 win over No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old will face Japanese star Naomi Osaka in her first WTA Tour final. The four-time Grand Slam champion knocked off Clara Tauson in her semifinal to reach her first WTA 1000 final since 2022.

Mboko is the first Canadian to reach the final since Bianca Andreescu won the event in 2019, and is just the second to do so since 1969.

The Toronto-area resident saved a match point and broke Rybakina twice when down 4-5 and 5-6 in the final set. Mboko took a medical timeout while leading 2-1 in the third set to receive treatment on her right hand after a fall.

Mboko's magical run has gone through four top-40 ranked players, including a straight-sets victory over World No. 2 Coco Gauff in the fourth round. She's the first Canadian to beat three Grand Slam champions - Gauff, Sophia Kenin, and Rybakina - in a single WTA event in the open era.

Mboko was ranked No. 85 before the tournament, and is now projected to sit 34th after her semifinal victory - a massive jump from her 337th ranking in January.

Rybakina had previously beaten Mboko 6-3, 7-5 in July at the Citi Open in Washington.