Victoria MBoko of Toronto performed well on its first impression in front of Montreal Wafadar Sunday in the inaugural-dosage of the National Bank Open Tennis tournament.
MBoko made his way in a scorching afternoon on the center court of the IGA Stadium from 7-5, 6-3 to Kimberly Biral of Australia, making his main draw on the soil of the house.
“Today was really fun,” MBCo said. “This was a very fun experience of playing in front of the Canadian crowd for the first time in Montreal. Playing in the Center’s court was a little nervous in the beginning (for me), but I would say that it got better in the entire match and I felt more confident in the end.”
Bianka Andresku of Mississaga, ONTS, continued the speed in the evening season, beating Chechia’s Barbora Crassicova 6-3, 6-4 in the battle of former Grand Slam Champion in straight sets.
The match, however, almost ended in the destruction for Andresku as he fell to the ground with a left ankle injury while serving for the match. Canadian received a long medical timeout, but was able to wrap the match after two points.
“You guys are everything, honestly,” an on-court, an emotional Andresku said during the post-match interview. “Thank you very much, so much.
Andresku was not made available to the media after the match due to injury. An update is expected on Monday after more comprehensive medical examinations.
MBoko used its big and powerful service game, hammering 15 aces, which regularly exceeded 180 kilometers per hour. He also introduced the crowd in some solid forehand winners to make the mob energetic in court during his more than 90 minutes.
“I surprised myself a little in the match, where I was really serving well,” she said. “I just wanted a very good first party percentage honestly in the entire match. I did not know that I was going to serve in this way. It gave me a lot of benefits and free marks.
“I think there was also a big factor of the match that helped me achieve the points where I really needed. Hopefully, I can continue this way.”
MBoko spent countless moments in signing autographs for fans, young and old, waited for the signature of both inside and outside the stadium. He even sprayed some in the French during his on-court match interview.
“I know that many of them were really just to support me, whether I won or lost a point,” said Maboko. “I was really grateful to it. I think it really helped me get through the match.”
MBoko landed for a strong start, leading Birel a 2–0 on Australian’s initial service game. However, Biral immediately broke the following game back.
Both players served till the 12th and final game of the set, in which MBoko served the opener 7-5 to break his opponent service.
MBoko was given a break in the fourth game of the second set, in which Biral had a expensive double-fault to keep Canadian 3–1 ahead.
For Mboko, it was a significant turn in his match.
“I think it really made a big difference in the match because if he was to catch, it would be tied in the score,” he said. “I really wanted to put a lot of emphasis to break him at that moment when I had a chance and really to serve so I could take a big lead in the match.”
MBoko never looked back from there, served three times to pull away with a direct victory.
The 18 -year -old MBoko, who is currently at number 88 in the world, was one of the seven Canadians, who was awarded a wild card in the WTA 1000 main draw.
He enjoyed a meteorite growth in the WTA rankings in 2025, which has started the season as a 350th -ranked player in the world. MBoko improved 46-8 in all competitions for Sunday’s victory, including the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Challenger Tour Level to win 22 consecutive matches in straight sets to win 22 consecutive matches.
MBoko also impressed at the Grand Slam level, this season qualified for both the French Open and Wimbledon, where it reached the third and second round respectively.
MBoko’s first round victory held a meeting with American Sophia Kenin in the second round. 23rd seeded Kenin earned an automatic bye in the second round based on his ranking.
A few hours after MBoko, Andresku also won the biased crowd.
After several tight service games from both sides, Andresku finally broke to take a 4–2 lead in the sixth game. The 2019 US Open champion will take the opening set 6-3.
Krejcikova replied well to start the second set, immediately broke her opponent 2–0 to pull forward. However, the two -time Grand Slam Champion was later demolished back three games and later broke again on his next service game.
Andresku fourth seed will recover before his second round matchup against 18 -year -old Meera Andreva.
Earlier in the day, Marina Stackusic of Mississaiga, ONTS took action to the Center court to fall 2-6, 6–2, 6-2 to Romania’s Jacqueline Christian in their first round match.
“I think I was very strong and played well in the first set,” said 20 -year -old Stackusic. “She just kept hanging there. She did not give me many free marks and she really served. She was quite level in the entire match.”
Four more Canadians play their early matches in Montreal on Monday, including Useney Boochord, which will shut down the night session against AMLIANA Arngo in Columbia. At the conclusion of the tournament, Bouchide announced a plan to retire from professional tennis earlier this month.
Laval, Que’s Leylah Fernandez, who captured the City Open title in Washington, DC on the first Sunday, is expected to play her first round match against Australia’s Maya United on Tuesday.
This report of Canadian Press was first published on 27 July 2025.
