Defending champion Mboko to miss National Bank Open in Toronto
Defending champion Victoria Mboko will miss next month's National Bank Open in Toronto, she announced on social media on Tuesday.
"Some tournaments mean a little more than others," the World No. 10 wrote in an Instagram post. "But the @nbotoronto means everything to me. Not being able to play at home this summer in front of the people I love and with the support of the Toronto crowd is deeply disappointing as it has been something I’ve been looking so much forward to.
"I am sharing this message with you as this is a part of my journey, one that has just started. I will be back…!❤️"
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season last year, the then-18-year-old Mboko won the Omnium Banque Nationale, played in Montreal, as a wild card.
Mboko, who started 2025 ranked No. 333 in the PIF WTA Rankings, beat four Grand Slam champions -- Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka -- en route to the title, the first of her career. Three months later she added a second title, in Hong Kong.
The Canadian has made a trio of finals this year -- in Adelaide, Doha and Strasbourg -- and in February she made her Top 10 debut.
Last month at Queen's Club, a day after winning her opening-round doubles match with Serena Williams, Mboko suffered a left knee injury after slipping on the grass in a match against Karolina Pliskova.
She later revealed that it was an MCL injury, causing her to miss the rest of the grass season. Her absence will now stretch into the Hard-Court Swing.
"Everything kind of happened so fast," Mboko said in a Wilson-branded video that accompanied the Instagram post. "There were so many emotions going through my mind. It's only a little setback, and I want to be a better person out of this."
"Toronto was a tournament that I always went to growing up. The National Bank Open also holds a special place in my heart. Knowing that I won't be able to play this year, it's very saddening. But I feel like I have so many more years ahead of me to play this tournament."
The WTA 1000 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers will begin on August 2 and run through August 13.
