Teenager Victoria Mboko Reaches WTA Semifinal in Montreal

MONTREAL — Eighteen-year-old Victoria Mboko advanced to her first career WTA 1000 semifinal, defeating Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 at the National Bank Open on Monday night.

In front of a cheering crowd in Montreal, the Canadian wild card displayed her talent and resilience. After a tight first set that featured many errors from both players, Mboko broke Bouzas Maneiro’s serve in the eighth game, securing the set 6-4.

Though she started the second set sluggishly, falling behind 0-2, Mboko fought back, winning six consecutive games to close the match in 1 hour, 17 minutes. She is the first Canadian to reach this stage of the tournament since Bianca Andreescu‘s title run in 2019.

“I’m so excited to be in the semi-finals here,” Mboko said in an on-court interview. “My first time playing in Montreal has been an unreal experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

With this win, Mboko’s ranking is projected to soar to at least No. 55. Earlier this season, she started ranked No. 333 and embarked on a 22-match winning streak, earning five titles on the ITF Tour.

Mboko has also made waves in Grand Slam tournaments, reaching the third round at the French Open and defeating the 25th-seeded Magdalena Frech in the first round at Wimbledon.

In the semifinals, Mboko will face No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina, who advanced after Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk retired due to a wrist injury while trailing 6-1, 2-1.

The semifinal match promises to be an exciting showdown, as it will be the second meeting between Mboko and Rybakina in just two weeks. Rybakina won their previous encounter at the Citi Open in Washington.