Run of the year?! Wild card Victoria Mboko wins first WTA title over Naomi Osaka in magical Montreal finish

There’s a new Queen Victoria of Montreal and she’s only 18 years of age.

In front of a crowd willing her on to take the proverbial crown, Victoria Mboko completed one of the most remarkable title runs in recent memory to cement herself as the newest WTA champion in Montreal on Thursday evening.

The Canadian became just the second-youngest player in Open Era history to knock off four Grand Slam champions at a single tournament when she battled back to defeat Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. The victory saw Mboko become the second teenager to triumph at a WTA 1000 event this year following Mirra Andreeva’s Dubai-Indian Wells double.

"When I had that winning moment and seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience. I would have never thought something like this would have came so suddenly," Mboko told press. "I'm super happy for that, and I think it just proves that your dreams are closer than they are."

Wins over Grand Slam champions en route

• 2R: d. No. 23 seed Sofia Kenin, 6-2, 6-3
• 4R: d. No. 1 seed Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-4
• SF: d. No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
• F: d. Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

STREAM: Mboko vs. Osaka, The Match In 15 Minutes

At first, it looked like the night would belong to Osaka. The 27-year-old broke in her opening return game to grab an immediate advantage. Mboko, who landed awkwardly on her wrist during her semifinal win over Elena Rybakina that also involved erasing a match point, shook out her right hand after double-faulting twice. She initially struggled to inject enough pace when Osaka controlled points by sticking to forehand exchanges.

"We quickly went to the hospital actually to do an MRI and an X-ray before I came to the courts to practice today. So once we got the green light that nothing too serious was going on in the wrist, I came here and practiced real fast and prepared for my match," she shared afterwards.

After a pair of holds that got the crowd going, Mboko pushed the former world No. 1 to deuce in the seventh game. Osaka shrugged off her opponent’s growing confidence to maintain her lead and ended the set with a second break when Mboko’s forehand flew long—her 22^nd unforced error.

Taking a clean slate to heart, Mboko broke to begin the second set thanks to her defensive skills that drew a netted backhand. It ignited a run of five successive games to the returner, until the 85th-ranked competitor finally consolidated for 4-2 with tremendous depth down the middle. Osaka, meanwhile, couldn’t find the court and suddenly found herself down a double break when Mboko’s forehand bunt return landed over the net for a clean winner.

Osaka was handed a lifeline when Mboko tossed in three double faults to hand one break back. But when Mboko served for the set a second time—without much pace behind her delivery, Osaka’s hitting went away again in missing a slew of routine shots.

"I feel like I'm a little teeter-tottering today. I felt like I could have played better, but I'm not really sure which aspect," Osaka reflected. "I think definitely my serve, but it's going to be interesting to see what my next match is and how I'm going to play."

More twists and turns on the rollercoaster ride carried into the decider after Osaka left the court, with three breaks in a row mirroring the tension of the early second set proceedings. Then, Mboko’s remarkable composure shone through.

Staving off four break points, Mboko capped an 18-point game with a deft forehand dropshot winner to consolidate. As she seemingly locked in for whatever came her way, Osaka couldn’t match her opposition’s demeanor. Despite two game points, she watched Mboko break her for a seventh time from eight chances and hold from deuce to reach 5-1. Down 40-15, Mboko brought the house to its feet with a diving forehand stab winner—and moments later, finished off the unreal victory with four rapid points.