Victoria Mboko’s commendable victory over Elena Rybakina stunned the whole tennis world. While the home crowd couldn’t get enough of cheering Mboko after the semifinal win, other renowned figures, including Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert and Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs, lauded the youngster.
Tennis Community Rallies Behind Victoria Mboko After Her Commendable Canadian Open Win
Eighteen-year-old Mboko pulled off a stunning comeback to reach the final of the National Bank Open on Wednesday night. She defeated the tournament’s ninth seed, Elena Rybakina, in a thrilling three-set match 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4). After a shaky start where she lost the first set, Mboko fought hard, saving a match point in the final set and breaking Rybakina’s serve twice to push the match into a tiebreak.
Besides the crowd that cheered and sang songs about Mboko’s glorious win, members of the tennis community also applauded her victory. American WTA star Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert seemed surprised by her dominant performance, highlighting her worth to own a nickname.
“What a great effort from Mboko taking out Ryba and the crowd was absolutely rocking she definitely is need of a nickname,” he wrote on X.
What a great effort from Mboko taking out Ryba and the crowd was absolutely 💯 rocking she definitely 👍 is need of of nickname
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 7, 2025
Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs was also taken by surprise as she witnessed the 18-year-old’s dominant semifinal performance.
“UNBELIEVABLE!!! MmmmmmmmmmBOKO!!!!!”
UNBELIEVABLE!!! MmmmmmmmmmBOKO!!!!!
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) August 7, 2025
“This kid is the REAL deal. She has so much raw ability. Power, grit, great mover, huge serve, just amazing upside. There are some technical things on serve i would clean up, but damn she is going to win a lot of matches on the wta tour!” Stubbs wrote in another X post.
This kid is the REAL deal. She has so much raw ability. Power, grit, great mover, huge serve, just amazing upside. There are some technical things on serve i would clean up, but damn she is going to win a lot of matches on the wta tour!
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) August 7, 2025
“May I add in all that mayhem, drama, noise and excitement, Elena Rybakina could not have been classier in that loss,” her series of posts on X said.
May i add in all that mayhem, drama, noise and excitement, Elena Rybakina could not have been classier in that loss.
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) August 7, 2025
With Naomi Osaka’s surprise win over Clara Tauson, an opportunity and a challenge lie in front of both the finalists at the Canadian Open.
Mboko Unveils the Mentality That Helped Her Rise Up to Take Control in the Semifinal Showdown
The semifinal showdown between Mboko and Rybakina saw the Kazakh leading, with the first set in her name. However, Mboko showcased a dominant rise, giving signs of confidence that she had despite being dominated by her rival. Elaborating on the belief, the WTA star said:
“I feel like I always had that kind of mentality when I played, I don’t like to give up and I don’t wanna the my opponent the match just like that. So, every chance I had to honestly come back and stay in the match, I tried to take it as much as possible.”
“Words cannot even describe how I feel right now.”
Victoria Mboko speaks @SNMichaud after the biggest win of her career at #OBN25 pic.twitter.com/htoqbjtb87
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 7, 2025
Ready to face Osaka in the final, Mboko is now one win away from her first WTA Tour title. If she wins the final, she’ll become just the third Canadian woman to take the title at her home tournament in the Open era, joining Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019).
