Victoria Mboko says she doesn’t want to put too much pressure on herself after capturing her first WTA title at the National Bank Open.
The Canadian entered the tournament via a wildcard and experienced a fairytale run, scoring wins over former Grand Slam champions Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina. Then, in the final on Thursday, she pulled off another big victory by beating former world No.1 Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, who was playing in her first WTA 1000 final since 2022.
Mboko’s unprecedented run has seen her become only the second player to win their first WTA title of any kind at a 1000 event since the format was introduced in 2009. Coincidentally, the first to do so was Osaka, whom the 18-year-old has previously said is an idol of hers.
“When I had that winning moment and seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience,” said Mboko.
“I would have never thought something like this would have come so suddenly.
“I’m super happy for that, and I think it just proves that your dreams are closer than they are.”
To make the triumph even more impressive, Mboko had to deal with an injury scare heading into the final after falling awkwardly on her wrist in her previous match. On the same day as her first final, she had to undergo a medical assessment to see if she was fit enough to play.
“I was pretty nervous, especially when I woke up (Thursday) morning. It was pretty swollen, and it was really stiff and hard to move. So we decided to go to do an MRI and an X-ray just to make sure that nothing too serious was happening, that I could have the possibility of playing.” She explained.
“When I got the green light, I just had to make sure I saw the physios, and we taped it up properly before the match, and it was a very solid tape job. I just did as much as I could to prepare for the match.”
Mboko is the latest young Canadian to burst onto the scene after the likes of Eugenie Bouchard and Leylah Fernandez, who have both reached a Grand Slam final. Inevitably, there will be a lot more media attention focused on Mboko, who started 2025 ranked outside the top 300 but will now enter the top 50 as a result of her latest victory.
As for dealing with the limelight, the youngster says the people around her are keeping her grounded. Mboko has three other siblings who also play tennis, and two of them play at college level. Her parents are originally from the Congo but left due to the war in the country.
“I understand why there would be a lot of attention around it. It’s my first-ever WTA championship and title. I understand why there would be such a noise around it, but I like to keep things very simple, especially in my life.” She commented.
“I surround myself with people who have known me for so long, and I just like to keep a small circle. I like to be really relaxed and calm.
“I think going forward, I just want to keep the same routines that I’m usually used to. I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself just because of something that happened this week. There’s always another tournament, whether you win or lose. I’m just happy to live in the moment. Once it’s passed, it’s passed.”
Due to her wrist, Mboko confirmed she will not be playing at the Cincinnati Open, which is the last WTA 1000 event to take place before the US Open.
