Victoria Mboko’s landmark victory over Coco Gauff on Saturday has many historic implications both within the context of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers and Canadian tennis.
By defeating the two-time Grand Slam champion by a score of 6-1, 6-4, she not only posted the best win of her young career, but she also became the first Canadian to reach the NBO quarter-finals since Bianca Andreescu in 2019. Plus, the18-year-old is the youngest Canadian to beat a no. 1 seed at the NBO and the win will allow her to make her first WTA 1000 final eight appearance on Monday.
Beyond the statistics though, Mboko showed incredible poise and maturity throughout the much-anticipated match. She embraced the moment and rose to the occasion in front of a sold out Centre Court at IGA Stadium, leaving Gauff perplexed and looking for answers as she was unable to match her opponent’s intensity.
Kostyuk vs. Rybakina on tap
The second quarter-final in the top half of the singles draw will see former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina take on Marta Kostyuk, who took out American McCartney Kessler in the fourth round.
An all-Ukrainian quarter-final looked likely for a while but Rybakina came back to defeat resurgent Dayana Yastremska in a hard-hitting baseline duel, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
The match concluded amid plenty of drama, as Yastremska saved three match points in the final game with Rybakina serving – two by blasting backhand winners.
Rybakina then saved a break point with a gutsy second serve and converted on her fourth match point when her mishit backhand volley landed in.
On top of the exciting tennis, the grounds were bustling as fans took part in a variety of activities as part of TennisFest including the opportunity to try wheelchair tennis, a Paint & Sip activity, Oyster Happy Hour, and a Grill & Chill featuring BBQ and beer.
Photos: Mathieu Bélanger
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