Victoria Mboko: A Star is Born in Montreal

Victoria Mboko announces herself as one of the new superstars of women’s tennis, as the 18-year-old defeats Naomi Osaka to claim the Masters crown in Montreal.

If you weren’t lucky enough to have been tuned in to the Montreal Masters over the last week, you may well have missed the birth of a new star.

Victoria Mboko, who came into the tournament as a wildcard, defeated four Grand Slam champions (Kenin, Gauff, Rybakina and Osaka) en route to claiming her maiden Masters crown at only 18 years of age. The victory would have been made all the more special, as it was done in front of her home fans.

The teenager began the year ranked outside the world’s top 300, but following victory here will rise as high as 24th in the world.

Mboko, a talented junior with multiple victories on the ITF’s World Tour, showed exceptional talent off both wings and immense grit throughout the tournament, with the latter being perhaps her most admirable trait.

At such a young age, it is rare to find a player who looks so comfortable when faced with adversity, but Mboko seems to have confidence in buckets. On three occasions in Montreal, Mboko lost the first set by a heavy margin: 6-1 to Bouzkova, 6-1 to Rybakina and, in the final, 6-2 to Osaka. But on each occasion, she showed immense mental and physical fortitude to overcome her far more experienced opponents.

After a fall in her semi-final victory over Rybakina, Mboko was rushed to hospital for a scan on her wrist. While she was given the green light by doctors, she looked to be in physical discomfort throughout the final.

Through sheer grit and determination, Mboko rallied after dropping the first set to win a cagey second set 6-4. Her prize for winning the second set, a break of the Osaka serve, was handed to her to open set 3, but with that being the tenth break of the match so far, it appeared that holding serve was more critical.

The key game came at 2-1 Mboko serving, where she saved four break points to eventually hold serve and take a 3-1 lead.

When Osaka dumped a backhand into the net at 1-5, Mboko fell to her knees to a chorus of cheers from her adoring home crowd. Her knack throughout the tournament to seemingly always come out on top on the big points is a mental fortitude that is hard to teach. If there is even the smallest criticism of Mboko, it would be her serve (13 double faults in the final), but the serve is often the last thing to click for a young player.

The composure that Mboko possesses is almost Djokovic-like, and combined with fearless shot-making and talent off both wings, she will be a force to be reckoned with on the WTA tour. She goes into another Masters event in Cincinnati in a few days’ time before she graces the courts at Flushing Meadows.

A lot of questions will be asked of Mboko with the eyes of the world now firmly on her. Several players before her have buckled under the pressure and scrutiny that can come with that much media attention. But something tells me that Mboko is special and that the pressure, if anything, will merely make her better.

The rest of the tour better watch out.