Naomi Osaka Recalls Forgetting to Congratulate Victoria Mboko After Historic Canadian Open Title Win

In her speech after the Canadian Open, Naomi Osaka offered no congratulations to Victoria Mboko, who had just won her maiden WTA title.

Naomi Osaka Recalls Forgetting to Congratulate Victoria Mboko After Historic Canadian Open Title Win

VIctoria Mboko, Naomi Osaka (images via Getty)

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At the Canadian Open, Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA 1000 final since the 2022 Miami Open and was aiming for her first title since the 2021 Australian Open victory. Despite losing the first set, home favorite Victoria Mboko made a composed comeback in the next two sets.

Mboko struggled early, making 22 unforced errors, allowing Osaka to wrap up the first set in 38 minutes. Osaka, however, became frustrated after a break in the second set and never regained her composure in front of a thunderous crowd rooting for her opponent.

She was broken at love in the beginning of the third set, and though she briefly broke back, she soon received a warning for hitting a ball off the court after a fault on break point. On match point, as Osaka netted a backhand, Mboko sealed the victory 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Osaka was visibly disappointed with the loss and in her speech offered no congratulations to the young Canadian who had just won her maiden WTA title. With a shaky voice, Osaka delivered a laconic, self-contained statement:

I don’t really wanna take up too much time. I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organizers, & volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.

Her remarks didn’t sit well with the fans who believed that the four-time Grand Slam champion should’ve acknowledged Mboko, a player who considers Osaka her idol. The 18-year-old had a fairytale run in Montreal, defeating four Grand Slam champions en route to victory. Osaka, who also skipped the post-match conference, later admitted that she forgot to congratulate Mboko:

Yeah, I mean, definitely. I think it’s kind of funny. This morning I was very grateful. I don’t know why my emotions flipped so quickly, but I’m really happy to have played the final. I think Victoria played really well. I completely forgot to congratulate her on the court. Yeah, I mean, she did really amazing.

Osaka and Mboko’s run in Montreal has given them a huge surge in the WTA rankings. Osaka went from No. 49 to No. 25. Mboko, who started off the season as No. 333 and entered the Canadian Open as No. 85 has now risen to a career-high of No. 24.

Victoria Mboko gives her take on Naomi Osaka’s frustration

Victoria Mboko was later asked at the press conference about what she made of Naomi Osaka‘s growing frustrations throughout the match and the eventual backing out from the press conference. Mboko gave a remarkably mature answer on what she perceived of her idol now:

I didn’t really get a chance to speak with her after the game, but I mean, I was kind of really caught up in everything that was happening after the match. If that was her wishes, then I respect it as well. I mean, I still think Naomi is an incredible player, and it doesn’t ever change what I think of her. I think she’s still a really nice girl. I still look up to her.

Mboko’s run in Montreal is historic for several reasons. With victories over Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Osaka, Mboko is the second-youngest woman in the Open Era to defeat four major champions at the same WTA tournament, after 17-year-old Serena Williams at the 1999 US Open.

VIctoria Mboko Canadian Open Montreal 2025
Victoria Mboko (image via Omnium Banque Nationale)

Mboko is the second wildcard in the Open Era to win the Canadian Open, after Monica Seles in 1995. She is also the third Canadian woman after Faye Urban in 1969 and Bianca Andreescu in 2019 to win this tournament in the Open Era.

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