After her semifinal win over Clara Tauson, Naomi Osaka requested the crowd to cheer for her as well in the final. The 27-year-old 4x slam champion saw how the mere chants of “Allez Vicky!” flipped the script for the local star and her final opponent, Victoria Mboko, against Elena Rybakina. Despite being the heavy favorite to win the matchup, as Osaka entered the Court Central, something changed. She took advantage of Mboko’s early hesitation but ultimately lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to the Canadian.

She was disappointed. Whether it was the Mboko chants, the toll of playing in a final again, or her body language, Osaka was visibly not playing her simplified version of tennis. But the biggest twist came later. In her post-match speech, Osaka deflected from the traditional script– “I don’t really want to take up too much time, so I will just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, and the ball kids, and the organisers, and the volunteers. I hope you guys have a good night.”

Victoria Mboko stood right next to the stage, watching Osaka take her runner-up flowers. All the while, the Canadian beamed a smile for not only playing against her idol but also defeating her in front of her home crowd. Her eyes gleamed as she anticipated hearing her own name. But Mboko’s name never crossed Osaka’s lips. Although the Japanese star later congratulated Mboko, it was too little, too late. The disgruntled tennis world quickly turned to social media. Amongst them was Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, who also shared her views on the controversial ending.

Aussie great wasted no time firing up her X handle with multiple takes. Her first note? “Congrats to Vicky who handled the pressure on her young shoulders so unbelievably well. Was it tough for her opponents all week, sure, but U know you’re going to play people from their own countries in those countries, that’s sports! & she’s 18 & 🇨🇦 so what did u expect!??,” she wrote. The post quietly aimed at Osaka’s previous underhanded request for some cheers, clearly pointing out that Mboko is a local favorite. But Stubbs wasn’t done yet.

She responded to that tweet, specifically targeting Osaka as she wrote, “But the way Naomi handled it in the end, was a little 😳 . When u think about all the things she has gone thru, the big matches she’s won, that was a capitulation & the speech😳! 2 not congratulate Vicky, who’s looked up to u her whole career & just won this massive 🏆 was sad.” 

Osaka has had her fair share of slack when it comes to moments like these. In fact, her maiden US Open win back in 2018 over her idol Serena Williams was nothing short of controversial. Amidst all the noise, her victory lap was lost. Something similar could happen to what Mboko has just achieved. But Stubbs made sure the 18-year-old knew she had achieved a big milestone and practically threatened the tennis world.

She again tweeted, “Congrats Vicky! What a tourney. U hung in when u lost the 1st set, u hung in all tourney against some of the most experienced players of the past decade & u EARNED THIS 🏆 ! Tennis is about hitting the ball in more than ur opponent & that’s what u did better than everyone in 🇨🇦!”

Victoria Mboko’s run included going against four scalps of Grand Slam champions, including Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka. Two of them, Gauff and Rybakina, were top-three seeds. From starting the year ranked No. 333 to becoming only the second-youngest in the Open Era to pull off such a feat, behind only Serena Williams in 1999, Mboko’s surge was nothing short of a meteoric rise. She now stands at the 24th rank, having won 53 of 62 events this season. While the names were big in the tennis world, they never changed Mboko’s mentality to win no matter what.

Stubbs’ words cut deeper because they came from a place of respect and gave a nod to the history she has already seen. She knows the grind, the glory, and the grace that finals demand. And to see a champion like Osaka bypass a moment of recognition for her opponent? That, to Stubbs, was a glaring miss. Still, her spotlight always swung back to the victor, and her words rang like a standing ovation.

The 18-year-old stood tall under the brightest lights and turned the noise of the crowd into the roar of her nation. While Osaka’s speech drew the headlines for the wrong reasons, the Canadian’s fight, poise, and victory have already carved her into the country’s sporting storybook, with the ink still fresh. And the ones who have been on the big stages are noticing.

Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend react to Mboko’s historic Canadian Open triumph

As the final ball struck the tape and history was sealed, Coco Gauff, one of her fallen opponents, set rivalry aside for respect. She posted her congratulations to Mboko, recognizing the teenager’s arrival on the sport’s biggest stage. It was a moment that bridged generations, one champion passing a torch, if only for the night, to a new force born on Canadian hard courts.

The WTA wasted no time in immortalizing the victory. They posted a powerful portrait of Mboko, rackets in hand, crowned by the caption “Allez Vicky!” and stamped with the words “Marvelous in Montreal.” And just a couple of hours later, Gauff’s Instagram feed lit up, where Coco added her own, “Congratulations.”

Taylor Townsend also joined the chorus. She re-shared a clip from the Omnium Banque Nationale page, the words “Precision under pressure. That’s how you win a final” sitting perfectly over Mboko’s match-winning strike. Townsend added her own seal: “The Moment 🏆,” a nod from one fighter to another, an acknowledgment of grace under fire.

Now, with Canada’s hard-court crown resting firmly on her head, all eyes turn to New York. Can Victoria Mboko channel this storm into the roaring seas of the US Open and prove her magic travels beyond home soil? The stage is set, the lights are waiting, and the world is watching.