This afternoon, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka will collide with 18-year-old Canadian standout Victoria Mboko in the National Bank Open WTA final.
As it turns out, however, years back when Mboko was a 14-year-old making waves on the ITF Juniors side of the tour, she called Osaka her idol.
While speaking with members of the press during her post-match press conference on Wednesday night following a win over Clara Tauson, Osaka was asked about the dynamic of playing against someone who grew up idolizing her.
“I don’t think that’s ever happened. I’m shook (laughing). No, I mean, it’s really cute. I guess I have to have a really good attitude tomorrow, I can’t let her not like me anymore. I don’t know, it’s funny because I see her on the TV, and I was low-key, like, ‘That’s my little twin,’ because we both have our blue dresses and our buns and everything.
“I’m really honored. I always said that I would love to play someone that looked up to me in a way, so it’s happening way sooner than I thought it would.”
You can see her comments in the video below, beginning at the 2-minute mark.
Naomi Osaka Reacts to Victoria Mboko’s Win Over Elena Rybakina
In Wednesday’s semifinal match between Victoria Mboko and Elena Rybakina, the 18-year-old crowd-favorite faced a match point in the third set while down 5-4.
Despite that, and the fact that Rybakina’s forehand seemed to be dialed in, the new world No. 34 managed to not only save a break point, but comeback and defeat the 2022 Wimbledon winner.
During her post-match press conference later in the evening, Osaka reacted to Mboko’s comeback:
“I watched her play today because they were the match in front of us and i thought it was really impressive how she stayed calm. … Obviously that’s really impressive for an 18-year-old. It’s really cool that she’s doing this at her home tournament.”
Mboko now becomes the first Canadian to reach the National Bank Open finals since Bianca Andreescu raised gold in Montreal back in 2019.
Victoria Mboko’s Semifinal Win Cements Her Place in WTA History
With her win over Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, Victoria Mboko cemented her place in the annals of Tennis history by becoming the first Canadian to beat three Grand Slam champions in a single WTA event.
In the first round of the National Bank Open, Mboko, who was set to play an ITF event this week prior to receiving a wild card to the tournament, defeated 2020 Australian Open winner and No. 23-seeded Sofia Kenin in straight sets.
After a big win over Marie Buzkova in the Round of 32, Mboko then picked up a lopsided win over top-ranked American and two-time Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff to advance to the quarterfinals.
While eliminating two former Grand Slam champs earned Mboko plenty of praise, it was her jaw-dropping comeback against Rybakina then wound up landing her in WTA history.
Following tonight’s match, Mboko will head to Cincinnati, where she’s scheduled to play the Round of 64 against Diana Shnaider on Saturday.
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