(Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
[TORONTO, ON and MONTREAL, QC] August 7, 2025 – Canadian Victoria Mboko was crowned
champion of the 2025 National Bank Open presented by Rogers (NBO), capturing her first career WTA
1000 title in front of a capacity crowd at IGA Stadium in Montreal. The 18-year-old rallied from a set down
to complete an impressive comeback to defeat former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the final
that lasted two hours and five minutes.
“When I had that winning moment and saw so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was a
surreal experience,” Mboko said. “I would have never thought something like this would have come so
suddenly. I’m super happy for that, and I think it just proves that your dreams are closer than they are.
This final featured several historic milestones. It was the first time since the WTA 1000 format was
introduced in 2009 that two players ranked outside the top 40 faced off in a championship match. It also
marked a major moment in Canadian tennis history, as 18-year-old Mboko became the second wild card
to win the NBO title in the Open Era after Monica Seles (1995), and the first Canadian to reach the
women’s singles final in Montreal.
Mboko delivered an historic run throughout the tournament, defeating four former Grand Slam
champions—Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Osaka— a feat no other Canadian has
accomplished at a WTA event in the Open Era. In doing so, she became the second-youngest player in
the Open Era to defeat four former women’s singles major champions in a single tournament, behind only
Serena Williams at the 1999 US Open.
BEN SHELTON WINS FIRST MASTERS 1000 TITLE
American Ben Shelton claimed the 2025 NBO crown, securing his first Masters 1000 title with a 6-7 (5), 6-
4, 7-6 (3) win against Karen Khachanov on Centre Court at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto. The 22-year-old
overcame the one-set deficit to earn the biggest win of his career in a match that spanned two hours and
48 minutes.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I feel like it was a perfect storm for me this week,” Shelton said. “A
lot of tight matches, long matches, played some of the best tennis that I’ve played this year. And to finish
out the week the way that I did, especially with the opponent that I had today, and the way that he was
playing, I couldn’t be happier.”
With his win, Shelton becomes the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion since Andy Roddick
(21) at the 2004 Miami Open. With his third ATP Tour title, Shelton joins Rafael Nadal as the only other
left-handed champion in Canada in this century.
The No. 4 seed opened with a straight-sets win over Adrian Mannarino, then won back-to-back three-set
matches against Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli. In the quarterfinal, Shelton topped No. 9 seed
Alex de Minaur before taking out his compatriot Taylor Fritz in the semifinal in two sets.
“Congratulations to Ben on his victory,” said Karl Hale, Tournament Director, NBO Toronto. “It’s been
incredible to watch his level continue to rise throughout the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
We’re so pleased that Ben could claim his first Masters 1000 title at our event. He is no doubt on his way
to many, many more. This week, we’ve experienced record-breaking attendance, and our fans have had
the chance to watch some incredible tennis. We’re so pleased with our expanded 12-day model, and
we’re excited to see our event continue to grow.”
