Osaka books WTA Montreal title clash with Canadian teen Mboko / Photo: Minas Panagiotakis - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
-
'Suffering' Djokovic fights past Cilic in Shanghai opener
-
Pegula fights past Navarro for Noskova semi-final in Beijing
-
UK on 'high alert' following synagogue attack
-
Israel deports first activists from Gaza aid flotilla
-
Bellingham's omission from England squad nothing personal, says Tuchel
-
Luxembourg enthrones new grand duke after royal abdication
-
England skittle sorry South Africa for 69 at Women's World Cup
-
Jurel, Jadeja tons put India in firm command of West Indies Test
-
UN-backed climate banking alliance ceases operations
-
Stocks gain on AI optimism, US rate-cut hopes
-
France captain Dupont bemoans 'restrictive' Top 14 salary cap
-
Maresca denies Chelsea 'discipline problem' after spate of red cards
-
Aston Martin's Alonso quickest in first practice for Singapore GP
-
EU-member Luxembourg enthrones monarch, drawing hundreds
-
Bellingham left out of England squad for October games
-
Sarah Mullally appointed first woman to lead Church of England
-
Carrefour name disappears from Arab stores as Israel boycotters claim victory
-
Brignone will give her all to be ready for Winter Olympics
-
Organisers say last Gaza flotilla boat intercepted by Israel
-
Jurel, Jadeja power India's lead to 164 against West Indies
-
Philippine military chief says rejected calls to oust Marcos
-
Hamas says still needs time to study Trump's Gaza plan
-
World champion Marquez crashes twice in Indonesia MotoGP practice
-
UK on 'high alert' following synagogue terror attack
-
Finland dismisses case over Baltic cable cuts
-
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson ruled out until after international break
-
Russia-linked tanker stopped by France resumes voyage: vessel trackers
-
Hamas official says group still needs time to study Trump's Gaza plan
-
Goffin beats Shelton in first Shanghai Masters shock
-
Ton-up Rahul, Gill steer India into lead in West Indies Test
-
Spain's Benidorm embraces its Franco-era mass tourism model
-
Not all 'A's: Unconventional paths that led to Nobels
-
New York judge to sentence Sean 'Diddy' Combs after blockbuster trial
-
Typhoon Bualoi death toll in Vietnam tops 50
-
Indonesia free meals programme under fire after thousands sickened
-
South Korea's Hwang charges into Hawaii LPGA lead
-
Munich airport resumes flights after drone sightings trigger closure
-
Wallabies vow to send Slipper off on a high against All Blacks
-
Cyberattack halts shipments from Japan's biggest brewer
-
Liverpool seek to steady ship, Man Utd's Amorim faces must-win game
-
Luxembourg gets new Grand Duke with royal abdication
-
Cambodian ex-MP's killer jailed for life in Thailand
-
Czechs head to polls with billionaire ex-premier tipped to come first
-
Taylor Swift moves into 'Showgirl' era with new pop album
-
Last flotilla boat sails on towards Gaza after Israel interceptions
-
Munich airport halts flights after drone sightings
-
Rookie Schlittler pitches gem, Yankees beat Red Sox to advance in MLB playoffs
-
Indonesia school collapse death toll rises to 7: rescue official
-
China trials 'energy-saving' underwater data centres
-
Tech fans Tokyo rally on broadly positive day for Asian markets
NYSE - LSE
Osaka books WTA Montreal title clash with Canadian teen Mboko
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Canadian teen sensation Victoria Mboko booked a championship showdown with gritty semi-final wins on Wednesday in the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal.
Japan's Osaka, chasing her first tour-level title since th 2021 Australian Open, saved a pair of set points in the second-set tiebreaker to polish off a 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson -- who was coming off victories over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys.
Mboko saved a match point in a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
The 18-year-old wild card fed off the energy of the crowd, crediting ecstatic supporters with carrying her through after a tumble left her with a sore right wrist in the third set of her first tour-level semi-final.
Mboko, who ousted top-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, didn't let it stop her.
After going down an early break in the third set she refused to go quietly, loading up on her forehand fending off a match point as she broke Rybakina in the 10th game to level the set.
A couple of untimely double faults helped ninth-seeded Rybakina break back for a 6-5 lead, but the ninth seed from Kazakhstan was broken at love in the next game, setting the stage for tiebreaker drama.
"After I had that fall I wasn't in the greatest spirits, but I'm happy that I kept my composure and I was kind of patient in the right moments," said Mboko, who won the last three points of a decider she called "stressful".
"Anything can happen," an exhausted Mboko beamed as the crowd's cheers rained down on her.
"Unfortunately I fell, but I had everyone supporting me and pushing me."
Mboko started the season ranked outside the top 300 but had worked her way up to 85th coming into the week by grinding away in lower-level tournaments.
She is assured of breaking into the top 40 no matter the result against Osaka, a former world number one who has struggled to find consistency since returning from maternity leave in 2024.
She has looked re-energized this week after a coaching shakeup and rolled through the first set against Tauson.
But Tauson twice regained a break in the second set as she pushed it to the tiebreaker where she had chances to level the match after taking a 6-4 lead.
Unable to convert her set points, the Dane saved one match point to make it 7-7, but Osaka won the next two to seal the victory and reach her first final in a WTA 1000 level event since Miami in 2022.
D.Sawyer--AMWN
