Naomi Osaka says she 'completely forgot' to congratulate Mboko after NBO win
When Victoria Mboko won the National Bank Open on Thursday night, congratulations spilled in from all across Canada for the 18-year-old.
Going from an unseeded wildcard to tournament champion, Mboko pulled off a win that will forever be remembered in the history books of Canadian tennis.
One person who didn’t seem to congratulate her was opponent Naomi Osaka, whom Mboko defeated in three sets to win the title.
In a short post-match speech on court, Osaka thanked her team, the ball kids, the tournament organizers, and the volunteers, but notably didn’t say anything about Mboko or her performance.
“I hope you guys had a good night”
Naomi Osaka in her runner-up speech clearly fighting with disappointment and not wanting to stay on the mic long.
There’s positivity to come from the week though, as she hasn’t been to a final of that size in 3 years— Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) August 8, 2025
While it was initially reported that Osaka was skipping a post-match press conference, she eventually met the media in a scrum and addressed the omission.
“I think Victoria played really well. I completely forgot to congratulate her on the court. Yeah, I mean, she did really amazing, so,” Osaka said in the mixed zone after the match
Osaka, who has openly spoken about her struggles with mental health in the past, appeared to be going through a very emotional match of her own, appearing particularly frustrated in the third set.
“I think it’s kind of funny. This morning I was very grateful. I don’t know why my emotions flipped so quickly, but I’m really happy to have played the final,” she added.
Point I’m referring too:pic.twitter.com/PuR247nqJE https://t.co/oGraOFRrRl
— Mari🌸 (@alldoublefaults) August 8, 2025
The tournament provided a big boost in the rankings for both players. Osaka, who was previously ranked as the No. 1 player in the world in 2019, jumped from No. 49 to No. 25, while Mboko jumped from No. 85 to No. 24.
“Yeah, obviously this tournament went really well. It could have went better, but that’s just me being picky,” Osaka added.
Mboko is the first Canadian singles champion in the event since Bianca Andreescu won the title in Toronto in 2019, a few weeks before winning her first and to date only major at the US Open.
“It feels unbelievable right now. I mean, words cannot really describe how today went,” Mboko said.