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

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.

Fairytale run for Mboko

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.

Match Info: Victoria Mboko - Naomi Osaka

Start time (local): Thu, 7 Aug, 6:00 PM

Start time (your time): Fri, 8 Aug, 6:00 AM

Court: Court Central

Tournament: Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers

Round: Final

Head-to-Head