(Video) Crowd Erupting in Applause After Victoria Mboko’s Canadian Open Win Leaves Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov Confused

Victoria Mboko scripted history as a Canadian athlete after beating Naomi Osaka to win her first WTA 1000 title.

(Video) Crowd Erupting in Applause After Victoria Mboko’s Canadian Open Win Leaves Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov Confused

Crowd started to cheer for Victoria Mboko during Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov's Canadian Open final (Image via X/Front Office Sports, Tennis TV)

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Victoria Mboko continued her fairy tale run and ended the Canadian Open not before defeating her idol, Naomi Osaka, in the final on Thursday (August 7). With this win, Mboko denied the four-time Grand Slam champion her first title of the season.

It was Mboko’s career’s first trophy, en route to which, she knocked out four Grand Slam champions. Before beating Osaka, the 18-year-old breezed past Sofia Kenin in the second round and reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff in the last 16.

In the semifinal, she was handed a breadstick in the first set. But the teenager showed great resilience and kept herself alive in the game before, through the tie-breaker in the third set, she ended Elena Rybakina‘s run.

The home crowd was so ecstatic that when she secured a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Osaka, those watching the men’s final between Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov erupted in applause mid-match. Both Shelton and Khachanov were confused as they had no idea why the crowd was cheering.

Here’s the video:

Between Shelton and Khachanov, it was the American ace who ended the Toronto Masters in his favor after three tough sets, which also included tie-breakers in the first and third sets. For the 22-year-old, the Canadian Open is the biggest title of his career and also his first tour-level win since the 2024 Houston Open.

Shelton has now extended his win-loss record over the Russian ace to 2-0. Khachanov was chasing his first title since winning the 2024 Almaty Open. The only Masters 1000 trophy he has lifted so far in his career is the 2018 Paris Masters by defeating Novak Djokovic.

Victoria Mboko is the third Canadian woman to win the home tournament

Mboko is the first Canadian woman to win the title since Bianca Andreescu in 2019 (beat Serena Williams). She is also only the third Canadian woman to lift this title after Andreescu and Faye Urban in the Open Era.

Victoria Mboko (2)
Victoria Mboko (Image via X/Team Canada)

I was super happy to be playing in Montreal for the first time ever. I just remember feeling nervous, but really taking in the moment as much as I possibly could. When I won my first round, I was super happy and super content. I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament. I have so many emotions going through my head, I can’t even express it.

Victoria Mboko said during the trophy presentation

Mboko has now become the third wild card to lift a WTA 1000 event after Maria Sharapova and Andreescu, both of whom won the 2011 Cincinnati Open and the 2019 Indian Wells, respectively. Another incredible thing about this young tennis ace is that she started the year as a 333rd-ranked player.

And now, she is World No.25 in the live rankings. Osaka stands at the 24th spot, which means she will finally be a seeded player in a Grand Slam tournament after a very long time.

It was the 27-year-old’s second final of the season. Earlier this season, Osaka handed the walkover to Clara Tauson in the ASB Classic. The last title Osaka won was the 2021 Australian Open. Since then, she has so far played three finals. The final was also Osaka’s first in WTA 1000 tournaments since the 2022 Miami Open.

Mboko, on the other hand, played her first-ever tour-level final. Before the Canadian Open, she had also reached the second round of the Miami Open and the Italian Open. She also played the main draws of both the French Open and Wimbledon after the qualifying rounds for the first time.

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