Canadian teen Mboko stuns Rybakina, matches wildcard feat of Seles and Halep

Teenager Victoria Mboko survived a first-set wobble to battle to a 1-6 7-5 7-6(4) win over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and set up a Canadian Open showdown with Naomi Osaka.

Mboko, ranked 85th in the world, saved a match point against Kazakh ninth seed Rybakina in front of adoring home support as the 18-year-old became the first Canadian to beat three former Grand Slam champions in a single WTA event in the Open Era.

Photo: Reuters

She has beaten Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff and Rybakina in her stunning run to the final in Montreal.

She is also just the third wildcard to reach the final at the Canadian Open in the Open Era after Monica Seles in 1995 and Simona Halep in 2015.

"I had everyone supporting me and pushing me through. Without you guys, I don't think I would've been able to pull this through," Mboko said after reaching her first WTA 1000 final.

Meanwhile, four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka booked a place in a WTA 1000 final for the first time since Miami 2022 after another impressive display, beating Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson 6-2 7-6(7) in the second semi-final.

The 27-year-old Osaka, a former world number one, is the first Japanese player in the Open Era to reach the final at the Canadian Open.