Osaka has made progress since returning in last year's Australian Open. She won two matches in both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, has earned $725,727 in prize money and reached the No. 49 spot in the WTA rankings, with a higher ranking likely on the way by making the final.

Mboko has played so much tennis this season for one reason — because she wins and wins and wins some more. She’s just doing it on ever-bigger stages. In addition to Osaka and Rybakina, she beat world No. 2 Coco Gauff and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on the way to the title.

Victoria Mboko didn’t even have a picture on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) website before the Canadian Open in Montreal. Now, the 18-year-old has defeated four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first WTA Tour final of her career.