Entering the 2025 Canadian Open semifinals against Elena Rybakina, Victoria Mboko knew it wouldn’t be an easy matchup. The first set at the Court Central showed that Rybakina, who previously dismissed the Canadian tennis talent in Washington in a straight sets victory, had the momentum. Mboko could not control the game tempo as her opponent easily took away the first set 6-1. However, things changed soon.

In the next set, Mboko took an early 3-0 lead with the Kazakhstani’s rally tolerance dropping. She had already won the first set with only 41% first serves going in. Still, while Rybakina held off the serve and returned, Mboko did not leave the lead. A forehand crushed onto the baseline drew the error, and the Canadian leveled the match in a 5-7 win. Soon, the rather silent crowd started to roar “Vicky! Vicky!” flashing their “ALLEZ VICKY” signs to support their native player.

Feeding off of their enthusiasm, the sensational 18-year-old began the third set. But just a few minutes into Rybakina’s opening point first service, Mboko fell hard on her right wrist. Although she continued to play, she switched her racket to her left hand whenever she could. And just then, came her request that wrecked everyone’s nerves present in the stands.

Edge AI’s tweet mentioned, “Medical time out for Victoria Mboko. Issue with right wrist / hand, she fell earlier during play. Elena Rybakina to serve next at 1-2 down in set 3.”

The right wrist had finally taken enough focus from Mboko to call for an MTO. As she got herself checked, the crowd in the Central Court came to a standstill. While she was still in the lead, she knew anything can happen in the game. With her wrist not up to the mark, she could fail in creating history as the youngest finalist for the tournament.

After winning QF against Bouzas Maneiro, Mboko had already addressed, “I don’t feel fresh, but I also don’t feel so tired.” Her knee injuries had been a ghost, re-appearing at odd times. But now, she clarifed that the one-day breaks in between the events and some matches being held at night give her enough time to rest her body. 

But with what happened next, the MTO was seemingly just a temporary obstacle and did not damage Mboko’s chances of cruising at the Canadian Open. After initially trailing in the final set, following a medical treatment, the teenager came back in style.

Update: Mboko showcased her power of recovery and despite wobbling for some time, defeated Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in her first tour-level SF. After winning, she credited the ecstatic supporters that carried her through as she fed off their energy. She said, “Anything can happen. Unfortunately I fell, but I had everyone supporting me and pushing me.”

With that, Mboko also took her revenge on the Kazakh star who beat her at the Citi Open. Now, the H2H tally is leveled at 1-1. But coming back to Mboko’s rise in Montreal, it’s been nothing short of a dream run. In her own words, “I’m still in the tournament,” and she indeed is.

Victoria Mboko looks to create history for Canada after six years

Victoria Mboko has now defeated three Grand Slam champions in a week to be a first. Firstly, she took down Sofia Kenin in the second round. After that, she bested two-time major winner Gauff in the fourth round and now Rybakina. Mboko has also become the fourth Canadian finalist at the WTA 1000 event in the Open Era. Before her, Faye Urban (1968 and 1969), Vicky Berner (1969), and Bianca Andreescu (2019) accomplished this feat. Interestingly, though, Mboko is the youngest compared to her compatriots.

But now is the time to create history for her nation. Back in 2019, Andreescu was the last Canadian woman to win this tournament. In the final, she lifted the trophy after her opponent, and 23-time slam queen, Serena Williams, walked over due to back spasm issues. Andreescu was leading 3-1 at that moment in the first set.

Now, Mboko has the chance to replicate Andreescu’s triumph. Her final opponent is yet to be confirmed. She will face the winner of the second semifinal between Naomi Osaka and Clara Tauson. After making it to the last four a few days back, the teenager told, “You play a tournament because you want to win it. So, I think I just had that kind of mentality.” She will look to keep the same mindset in the ultimate battle as well.

The current form will also boost her confidence going into the US Open later this month. Back in June, she managed to reach the third round of the French Open on clay. This time, she would like to stretch her slam campaign a little further on the American hard court. And if she actually wins in Montreal this week, the morale will be sky high.

What are your thoughts on Mboko’s epic comeback against Rybakina and her fairytale run in Montreal? Is she having a realistic chance of winning the Canadian Open? Let us know in the comments below.