Victoria Mboko produced another emphatic victory to reach the Canadian Open semi-finals.
The Canadian began to make waves on the WTA Tour earlier this season, but anyone who did not know who she was before, certainly does now.
Mboko convincingly beat Coco Gauff, the top seed in Montreal, for the loss of just six games to claim her first victory against the American.
Victoria Mboko carried her momentum into the quarter-finals, where she dispatched Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to reach the last four at her home tournament.
Victoria Mboko becomes first wildcard to reach the Canadian Open semi-finals since 2015
Due to her quick rise in the sport this season and being a homegrown talent, Mboko was given a wildcard for the Canadian Open.
This granted her direct entry into the main draw of the WTA 1000 event, and she has certainly made the most of her opportunity.
Mboko claimed a key break of serve at 4-4 in the first set before successfully opening up a one-set lead.
Bouzas began the second set with a 2-0 lead, but Mboko stormed back to win six successive games to claim another impressive win.
She is now just the third WTA player to be given a wildcard and reach the semi-finals. Monica Seles was the first to achieve this feat in 1995, and 20 years later Simona Halep replicated the achievement.
Seles went on to win that title 30 years ago, while Halep lost in the final to Belinda Bencic, after the Romanian could no longer continue while trailing 3-0 in the third set.
Victoria Mboko will face Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open semi-finals
Mboko took just one hour and 17 minutes to book her place in the Canadian Open semi-finals.
But standing in her way of a place in her first WTA final is Elena Ryabkina, who was beating Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 2-1, before she retired from the match.
Mboko played Rybakina as recently as 12 days ago at the Citi Open. The world number 12 claimed a 6-3, 7-5 victory on the way to reaching the semi-finals in Washington D.C.
Mboko is relishing the challenge of facing Rybakina again and she wants to contour her magical run at her home tournament.
“I’m so excited to be in the semi-final here,” Mboko said in her on-court interview. “My first time playing in Montreal has been an unreal experience and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
