WTA Montreal Match: Mboko Defeats Naomi Osaka, Achieving a "Wildcard Miracle" to Claim the Title

On August 8, 2025, the Rogers Cup concluded, with the WTA 1000 Montreal and ATP Toronto Masters determining their singles champions. Local wildcard 18-year-old Mboko staged a comeback to defeat former world number one Naomi Osaka with a score of 2-6/6-4/6-1, securing her first career title.

Mboko has shown remarkable progress this season, achieving an impressive 22-match winning streak on the ITF circuit earlier this year, winning four singles titles; at the French Open, she advanced to the third round in her Grand Slam debut after coming through qualifying (losing to Zheng Qinwen); at Wimbledon, she also secured a victory as a lucky loser in the main draw.

Before this tournament, Mboko was ranked No. 85 in the world, and thanks to a wildcard from the organizers, she directly entered the women's singles main draw. Following her victory, her ranking will rise to No. 24. On her path to the title, Mboko defeated former Australian Open champion Kenin, former Wimbledon champion Rybakina, and former US Open and French Open champion Gauff, and in the final against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, she came back from losing the first set to win two sets in a row and claim the championship.

Mboko becomes the third local female player to win the Canadian Open in the Open Era, following Urban in 1969 and Andreescu in 2019, and she is the youngest among them. During the award ceremony, Mboko paid tribute to her idol: "I also want to thank Naomi (Osaka) for an amazing match. I have looked up to her since I was young, and it’s an honor to compete alongside such an excellent player."

Mboko's Path to the Title

First Round: 7-5/6-3 Birel

Second Round: 6-2/6-3 Kenin[23]

Third Round: 1-6/6-3/6-0 Buzkova

Fourth Round: 6-1/6-4 Gauff[1]

Quarterfinals: 6-4/6-2 Bosas Manero

Semifinals: 1-6/7-5/7-6(4) Rybakina[9]

Final: 2-6/6-4/6-1 Naomi Osaka

(Text and Editing: Dato, Images: Visual China)