PREVIEW Canadian Open WTA Final: 18-year-old Victoria Mboko looks for first title against rejuvenated Naomi Osaka

Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka go head-to-head for the honour of winning the Canadian Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion is looking for her third Masters 1000 title, while the young Canadian is looking for her first senior title.

It has been like watching the Osaka of six/seven years ago the past two weeks, dominating against some of the best tennis players in the world, whilst also consistently showing it over a whole tournament. She has only dropped one set on the way to her fifth 1000 final, and her first since 2022 and becoming a mother.

On the other side of the court, it has been a dream week for Mboko. Entered as a wildcard, the 18-year-old fan favourite dropped only two sets along with beating three former Grand Slam champions in a surprising entry to the final. If she beats a fourth, she will become the fourth youngest woman to claim a 1000 title.

It is no secret that Osaka loves a hard court, winning all four Grand Slams and reaching five 1000 finals on the surface. Now back into the top 25 and importantly seeded for the upcoming US Open, it shows that her hard work and persistence has payed off after it looks like she may have returned to her best form.

After losing out in the third round at Wimbledon to quarter-finalist Anatasia Pavlyuchenkova, she was looking to kick her hard court season off with a strong performance in Washington, but was halted by 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

The pair were in line to meet in the quarter-finals in Montreal, but the Englishwoman failed to make it that far. Osaka got the better of Ariana Arseneault, Lidmila, Samsonova, Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova in her first four ties.

Her last-eight game looked on paper to be a banana skin, but the Japanese star battered the 10th seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 to comfortably ease herself through to the semi-finals, where she would face the inform Clara Tauson. A dominant end to the first set was swiftly followed by a number of breaks of serve, which led to a tiebreak where Osaka's class proved too much for the 22-year-old, winning the match 6-2, 7-6(7).

Osaka will go into the final as the favourite due to her previous expertise on the surface, and the familiarity of not just reaching finals before, but the experience of winning them too. Her attacking style of play and big hitting suits the surface, with a big serve which has proved to come in handy this week. Her ability to cover the court efficiently complements her high athletic ability, making her a tricky player to come up against. If anyone can defeat her, then Mboko has proved this week that she is up to the challenge.

It has been a breakthrough campaign for the 18-year-old, reaching the third round of the French Open as a qualifier before knocking out the 25th seed Magdalena Frech in an unprecedented upset at Wimbledon - a tournament she failed to qualify for.

Similar to Osaka, her Washington campaign was cut short in the second round due to Elena Rybakina being too strong for the young Canadian. The two would go on to compete for a spot in Montreal, with Mboko motivated for revenge.

Ahead of this, she got past Kimberly Birrell, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and Marie Bouzkova before producing the shock of the tournament, knocking out the two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff. Not just that, but she beat the reigning Roland Garros champion comfortably 6-1, 6-4 in a statement performance.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro proved no match for the dangerous Canadian, who eyed up vengeance against Rybakina. It looked ominous early on as the Kazakhstani, who breezed one set ahead. Mboko regained herself, and despite serving for the set three games earlier, eventually got over the line. She forced the third set to a tiebreaker after saving a match point, and took her second match point to put her into the final. These results have seen her sharply rise an incredible 51 places up to 34th, with a slot in the top 25 awaiting her if she comes out victorious.

Corresponding to Osaka, Mboko is a big hitter who prefers to dominate the point, with a huge backhand in her arsenal. She can also play on the defensive, patiently waiting for her opportunity to strike. Osaka has the advantage on the serve, but Mboko has proved she can stick with her opponents in longer rallies.

The pair, unsurprisingly, have never met before on court. Osaka's experience will be key throughout the final, but Mboko has proved she is mature enough to share the court with such greats in these big occasions. The Canadians will be hoping that their new prodigy can complete a fairytale tournament, but with Osaka back to consistently playing near her top level, Mboko will need to replicate some of the best tennis she has played this week.