MONTREAL – Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko met to reach the National Bank Open Finals, beating ninth seed Elena Rivakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday night.
Mboko, 18, fell to court after a long sailing at match points as a crowd lined with “Arez Vicki” erupted. Mboko saved match points in the third set, breaking Rivakina twice to force a tiebreaker.
“An incredible match,” Mboko told the crowd in French. “I would like to thank everyone who supported me. It was really difficult, but anything happens.”
On Thursday night, she will face Japanese star Naomi Osaka. This is the second semifinal winner with Danish 16 seed Clara Towson, 6-2, 7-6 (7).
Ranked 85th in the world, Mboko is seeking her first WTA tour title and is about to join Fay Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreesque (2019).
“Obviously there are benefits to playing in front of a crowd at home,” Mboko said. “You’re always making you as much as you can, and it really pulls me out at harsh moments when I might not be that positive.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina to Congolese parents, Mboko grew up in Toronto. She reached the quarterfinals by upsetting top-seeded Coco Gough 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday, and Monday by breaking through Jessica Booza Maneiro 6-4, 6-2. With two hours and 46 minutes, Wednesday’s match was the longest of Mboko’s short touring career.
From Kazakhstan, Rivakina won Wimbledon in 2022. She won nine career WTA Tour victories, winning the Clay in Strasbourg in May. Rivakina defeated Mboco 6-3, 7-5 in Washington last month.
“I knew she was a tough opponent,” Rivakina said. “She served these key moments really well. It was a very close match like a big fight. So, it could go any way, but it was hers.”
Mboko overcame a double fault of 11 and fought with a wrist injury after awkwardly tripping on the ground in the second game of the third set. She will rank at least 34th in the world after starting the year outside the top 300.
Mboko felt her wrists “had improved” after the match, but at this point, Aki has almost crushed her spirit.
“She played really great tennis on top of that, and I’m happy that she kept me calm,” Mboko said. “I’ve been patient in the right moments. I’m really happy that even at match points I could bounce back after falling.”
Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, reaching number one in the world, has continued to perform at its best in the WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the 2022 Miami final.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
