Osaka has made some 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 so far and reached the No. 49 spot in the WTA rankings, with a higher ranking likely on the way by making the final.

Mboko, 18 and playing in her first WTA final, denied Osaka her first tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open. Despite being a set down, she wore down the Japanese star, 27, who has struggled to find consistency since returning from maternity leave early in 2024.

Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko completed a dream run to the National Bank Open title Thursday night, overcoming a slow start to beat Japanese star Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.