Osaka, Mboko dispute Canadian Open crown

MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Canadian teen sensation Victoria Mboko booked a championship showdown with gritty semifinal wins on Wednesday in the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal.

Japan’s Osaka, chasing her first tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, saved a pair of set points in the second-set tiebreak to polish off a 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) victory over Denmark’s Clara Tauson — who was coming off victories over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys.

Mboko saved a match point in a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

The 18-year-old wild card fed off the energy of the crowd, crediting ecstatic supporters with carrying her through after a tumble left her with a sore right wrist in the third set of her first tour-level semifinal.

Mboko, who ousted top-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, didn’t let it stop her.

After going down an early break in the third set she refused to go quietly, loading up on her forehand and fending off a match point as she broke Rybakina in the 10th game to level the set.

A couple of untimely double faults helped ninth-seeded Rybakina break back for a 6-5 lead, but the ninth seed from Kazakhstan was broken to love in the next game, setting the stage for the tiebreak drama.

“After I had that fall I wasn’t in the greatest spirits, but I’m happy that I kept my composure and I was kind of patient in the right moments,” said Mboko, who won the last three points of a decider she called “stressful.”

“Anything can happen,” an exhausted Mboko beamed as the crowd’s cheers rained down on her.

“Unfortunately, I fell, but I had everyone supporting me and pushing me.”

Mboko started the season ranked outside the top 300 but had worked her way up to 85th coming into the week by grinding away in lower-level tournaments.