Victoria Mboko Reacts to Idol Naomi Osaka’s Controversial Conduct During Canadian Open Final

Victoria Mboko has become the third wild card to win a WTA 1000 title after defeating Naomi Osaka in the Montreal final.

Victoria Mboko Reacts to Idol Naomi Osaka’s Controversial Conduct During Canadian Open Final

Victoria Mboko, Naomi Osaka (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

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When Victoria Mboko knocked out Coco Gauff, and that too, without much effort, many thought it was her lucky day. But did anyone at that time guess that the 18-year-old would reach the final and end the Canadian Open as the champion?

But she did win, by beating her idol, Naomi Osaka. The four-time Grand Slam champion was “honored” and thought “it’s really cute“ that she is Mboko’s idol. At the press conference after her semifinal win, Osaka said she wanted to avoid doing something that would make Mboko not like her anymore.

But two of her conducts drew heavy criticism. In the third set, Osaka hit a drop shot to take Mboko by surprise, but the teenager showed great athleticism by quickly running forward, lunging for the ball, and was successful in returning. And how did Osaka react?

She simply stood for a while without showing any effort to reach for the ball. Either she thought the ball had bounced twice, or she let her frustrations get the better of her, which led to fans questioning her intent.

Next was Osaka’s post-match speech. She quickly thanked everyone but did not congratulate the champion. When Mboko was asked whether she talked to Osaka after the match or whether her opinion of the former World No.1 has changed, the teenager only had kind words for her idol.

No, 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 wish, 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.

Before becoming the Canadian Open champion, Mboko knocked out four Grand Slam champions, becoming the second youngest to do so after 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams in 1999. Mboko beat Sofia Kenin in the second round, Gauff in the fourth round, and Elena Rybakina in the semifinal, before securing the win over Osaka in the final.

I think she’s still a really nice girl. I still look up to her. Nothing really changes after the match. I mean, I’m really happy that I was able to win today, but I mean, to play against her was also a really special moment for me.

Victoria Mboko added

Mboko has become only the third Canadian woman to win the tournament after Bianca Andreescu and Faye Urban. She is also the third wild card to win a WTA 1000 tournament after Maria Sharapova and Andreescu.

Ben Shelton reacts to Victoria Mboko’s win

When Ben Shelton was locking horns with Karen Khachanov, the crowd suddenly started to cheer loudly mid-match, leaving both players confused. The reason was that at that time, they realized Victoria Mboko defeated Naomi Osaka.

Ben Shelton Canadian Open 2025
Ben Shelton (image via National Bank Open)

Shelton, who went on to win that match after three tough sets, had asked the chair umpire why the crowd was reacting in such a manner. Hours after the match, he took to his Instagram story to congratulate Mboko.

Congrats on the title @vickymboko !! I had no idea what was going on at the time but Toronto went nuts for you.

Check out his post here:

Ben Shelton's Instagram story (2)
Ben Shelton’s Instagram story

It was Shelton’s first title of the season as well as his first Big Title. Before this tournament, the 22-year-old had never reached a Masters 1000 final. Khachanov, who now trails 0-2 in the head-to-head encounter versus the World No.6, was bidding for his second Masters 1000 title. The 29-year-old last won a trophy at the 2024 Vienna Open.

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