Overwhelmed by emotions: Naomi Osaka admits forgetting to congratulate Victoria Mboko for winning Canadian Open title

Japan’s Naomi Osaka admitted that she was overwhelmed by emotions after losing in the final of the Canadian Open. The former world number one lost to Canada’s young tennis sensation Victoria Mboko in the grand finale of the WTA 1000 event in Montreal with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

In the match, Osaka converted six break points, two fewer than Mboko. She produced just one ace, three fewer than her opponent. Overall, Osaka won 87 points, five fewer than Mboko. The result was unexpected for Osaka, who came into the match as a heavy favourite. The outcome left Osaka in shock, as evident in her speech after the match, where she did not congratulate her opponent. “I don’t really want to take up too much time,” said Osaka. “I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organisers, & volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.”

While talking to the press after the match, Osaka admitted that she forgot to congratulate Mboko after being overwhelmed with emotions following the defeat. She stated that she had no idea why her emotions ‘flipped’ after the outcome. “Yeah, I mean, definitely. I think it's kind of funny,” said Osaka. “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. I think Victoria played really well. I completely forgot to congratulate her on the court. Yeah, I mean, she did really amazing.”

The result might have been disappointing for Osaka, but it put her in a strong position to go into the fourth and the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, as a seeded player. With her incredible run in Montreal, Osaka will be the world number 25 in the updated rankings once they are released on Monday. Osaka’s next appointment will be the ongoing Cincinnati Open, where she will face the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova in the round of 64.

On the other hand, for Mboko, it was the biggest achievement in her young career, and the 18-year-old was clearly ecstatic. She expressed those emotions in her post-match speech, where she congratulated Osaka and also thanked her family and the supporters for showing incredible support.

“I also want to thank Naomi for an incredible match,” said Mboko. “I have always looked up to her when I was really little. Its always great to play with such an amazing player like you. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who came to support me today. My siblings, my family. I would not have been here if it wasn’t for them. I want to thank every single one of you. You guys were incredible. I couldn’t be more grateful.”  

Mboko’s win was even more special as she secured the biggest title of her career against her idol, Osaka. While speaking to the press after the match, Mboko was asked whether the whole incident where Osaka did not congratulate her after the match would change her perspective about the former world number one. In response to that, Mboko stated that the whole incident does not change anything.

“I didn't really get a chance to speak with her after the game, but I mean, I was kind of really caught up in everything that was happening after the match,” said Mboko. “If that was her wishes, then I respect it as well. I mean, I still think Naomi is an incredible player, and it doesn't ever change what I think of her. I think she's still a really nice girl. I still look up to her. Nothing really changes after the match. I mean, I'm really happy that I was able to win today, but I mean, to play against her was also a really special moment for me.”