Teenage sensation Victoria Mboko has responded to Naomi Osaka's snub at the Canadian Open final.
On Thursday night, Mboko, 18, took on four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka in the final of the WTA 1000 event in Montreal, Canada.
Despite losing the first set, Mboko produced a brilliant comeback to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, clinching her maiden WTA title.
During the trophy presentation, Osaka was criticised after failing to congratulate Moboko in her short speech.
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The Japanese star said: "I don’t really wanna take up too much time. I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organizers, & volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night."
However, the 27-year-old did address the issue when giving written quotes for the press conference.
She said: "I don't know why my emotions slipped so quickly, but I'm really happy to have played the final.
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"I think Victoria played really well. I completely forgot to congratulate her on court. Yeah, she did really amazing."
Victoria Mboko responds to Naomi Osaka snub
Mboko herself was asked about the incident during her own press conference.
The teenager stated that 'nothing changes' when it comes to what she thinks of Osaka, who is one of her idols.
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Mboko explained: "I was kind of really caught up in everything that was happening after the match. 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."
She continued: "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."
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On the back of winning the Canadian Open, Mboko will be ranked 25th in the world, having been at 333rd when the 2025 season began.
Topics: Tennis, Naomi Osaka
Marcus Chan