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.

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.

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.