Victoria Mboko receives incredible honor from home city after breakthrough season
NewsSunday, 23 November 2025 at 21:55
Despite being just 19, Victoria Mboko's home city recognized her achievements with an honor given to very few people.
Before the 2025 season began, Mboko was known only to the most dedicated tennis fans. That changed after a 12 months where she established herself as one of the most exciting young players on the WTA Tour.
Mboko's run to the 2025 Canadian Open title is what established her as a worldwide name. Winning a WTA 1000-level title would have been outstanding no matter what, but it coming in her home country made it even more special.
The teenager's memorable achievement included overcoming Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka in the final. Osaka caused controversy by failing to mention her opponent during the trophy ceremony in Montreal.
After a few weeks of poor results, Mboko dramatically returned to form in her final tournament of 2025 at the Hong Kong Open. She overcame Cristina Bucsa in an entertaining final, confirming a second title.
With a powerful first serve, superb forehand, and great athleticism, Mboko has the tools to be a future Grand Slam winner. There are also many improvements to be made, but it would be surprising if she did not reach the top.
Mboko grew up in Burlington, Ontario. The city's local officials awarded Mboko a key to Burlington for her achievements in 2025 and for inspiring Canadians during her title run in Montreal.
After receiving the honor, Mboko spoke about the friendly and inclusive culture in Burlington, and wants to see more tennis courts where she grew up as her career continues to blossom over the coming years.
"The community here is so welcoming and friendly. We have almost everything we need around here, and I have been and continue to be so blessed to live here and have the opportunities my family created for me."
"It’s something I don’t take lightly, and I’ve set out as a goal in the future for myself to help provide and create opportunities for others. To that extent, if I were to ever have one wish, it’d be to have more tennis courts here in Burlington."
Burglington's deputy mayor for recreation and community services, Angelo Bentivegna, said kind words about Mboko and thinks her attitude and qualities reflect the city's spirit.
"You’ve shown determination, humility, and strength beyond your years. While the world sees a champion, we see someone who reflects the heart and spirit of Burlington.”
Secretary of State for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, summarized the effect Mboko had on the entire country by saying that even those who do not usually watch tennis were glued to her matches at the Canadian Open.
"We’ve always had great tennis players in Canada, but ... whether we had watched tennis before or not, everyone was a tennis fan for those weeks."
Maya Joint and Alexandra Eala were other young players who rose to prominence in 2025. Those up-and-coming stars joining established champions like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff means the WTA Tour is in an exciting place.
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