 Today we're looking at Canadian tennis sensation Vicky Mboko's thoughts on her improbable victory in Montreal and her upcoming U.S. Open debut. Plus, the Blue Jays open another big series, Olympic hammer throw champion Ethan Katzberg suffers a rare defeat, and the Canada Games adjust to nearby wildfires.
Also, just a heads-up that there will be no Buzzer tomorrow. We're back Thursday. | | | For Vicky Mboko, 'anything is possible' after her stunning Montreal win
| | | Throughout Vicky Mboko's incredible run at the National Bank Open in Montreal, where the unseeded (and largely unknown) young Canadian knocked off four Grand Slam winners to capture her first WTA Tour title, it was easy to forget that she's just 18 years old.
Mboko certainly didn't act her age on the court, where she upset major champs Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka to become just the third Canadian woman ever to win the tournament formerly known as the Canadian Open.
After taking out the second-ranked Gauff, Mboko overcame a 6-1 loss in the opening set and a wrist injury to topple Rybakina in the semifinals. In the pressure-packed final, she bounced back from another lopsided first-set defeat to beat Osaka, a former world No. 1 and four-time Slam winner. The 27-year-old Osaka behaved more like your stereotypical teenager in that one, growing increasingly sullen as the match slipped away from her while Mboko managed to hold it together on the biggest night of her life.
Mboko's composure and warm self-assuredness were also evident in her dealings with the media. While Osaka muddled through her on-court interview after the final, not even bothering to congratulate the winner, Mboko handled it like a seasoned pro, thanking everyone from Osaka to the ball kids to the fans (in French) for being part of her breakthrough moment.
After charming reporters at her press conferences in Montreal last week, Mboko continued her media tour yesterday and sat down with CBC Sports' Anastasia Bucsis. Her National Bank Open trophy in tow, Mboko talked about the strangeness of seeing herself pop up on her own social media feeds ("It's kind of weird. I'm like, I shouldn't be here.") and what she learned from her big victory ("I think it kind of proves that anything is possible. It seems pretty intimidating when you're playing the top 10 in the world and such amazing athletes and amazing players, but we're all human.").
Mboko also looked ahead to her U.S. Open debut later this month in New York, where she'll be seeded after rocketing to 24th in the world rankings from 350th at the end of last year. ('It's been a goal of mine since I was a really young girl… I want to have as much fun as possible.") And she even looked way ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where she'll have a chance to join fellow 18-year-old Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh. (It's really far away… but I think it's achievable. That would be a long-term goal of mine.") Watch the full interview here.
Felix still alive in Cincinnati
It's been a strong summer for Canadian tennis, with Leylah Fernandez winning the DC Open in Washington in late July for the fourth WTA title of her career before Mboko's stunning victory in Montreal.
Mboko withdrew from this week's Cincinnati Open to rest her wrist, while Fernandez lost her opening match. But, on the men's side, 23rd-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the round of 16 yesterday when France's Arthur Rinderknech quit their match with the Canadian leading 7-6, 4-2.
Felix will face another unseeded Frenchman on Wednesday in Benjamin Bonzi, ranked 63rd in the world. The winner will likely meet top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy in the quarterfinals.
Auger-Aliassime is the only Canadian singles player left in Cincy after 30th-seeded Gabriel Diallo lost to Sinner last night. Denis Shapovalov, seeded 24th, was eliminated in the second round by Italy's Luca Nardi on Sunday.
In doubles, the second-seeded team of Canada's Gabby Dabrowksi and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe was playing their second-round match at our publish time. | | |  | Vicky Mboko hoisted her first WTA trophy last week in Montreal. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
| | | Quickly…
| | | Some other things to know:
1. The Blue Jays open another big series tonight.
Despite losing two of three at Dodger Stadium against the World Series champs over the weekend, surprising Toronto (69-50) still boasts the best record in the American League with about a quarter of the regular season left. The Jays are a half game ahead of AL Central-leading Detroit for top spot in the league, and 4½ up on Boston for the AL East lead. They lead the major leagues in hits, batting average and on-base percentage and rank third in on-base-plus slugging percentage.
Another tough opponent is on tap as the Chicago Cubs arrive in Toronto for a three-game series starting tonight. The Cubbies (67-50) sport the fourth-best record in baseball, though they trail MLB-best Milwaukee by 6½ games in the tough National League Central. The Brewers won their 10th in a row last night, becoming just the 10th team since the 1969 expansion with multiple double-digit winning streaks in the same season — a group that includes the 2015 Blue Jays.
The current Jays could be getting some reinforcements soon as second baseman Andres Gimenez (ankle) and outfielder/DH George Springer (concussion) appear close to returning from injuries. Former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, has looked good in his Triple-A rehab appearances as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery, while big right-hander Alek Manoah is pitching well in the minors as he tries to come back from his own elbow injury. Top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage could also earn a call-up as a reliever after throwing out of the bullpen for double-A New Hampshire last week.
Here's more on some Jays storylines to watch down the stretch.
2. Ethan Katzberg lost for just the second time this year.
Canada's Olympic men's hammer throw champion was the runner-up to Hungary's Bence Halasz at a World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Budapest today. Halasz took silver behind Katzberg at the Paris Olympics last summer and was the bronze medallist when Katzberg captured the world title in 2023.
Today marked just the second time Katzberg has been defeated in eight starts in 2025. The other loss came at last month's Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, where he also finished second.
Other notable winners today in Budapest included Olympic 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson of Jamaica and Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, who broke his own world record again.
In other track and field news, American sprinter Fred Kerley, a two-time Olympic 100m medallist, was suspended for missing drug tests.
3. The Newfoundland wildfires are impacting the Canada Games.
In response to the nearby fires, organizers of the Olympics-like event involving around 4,200 young athletes moved some of today's competitions from the towns of Paradise and Conception Bay South to St. John's, the primary host city, while postponing beach volleyball and sailing events. "The safety of athletes, coaches, participants and volunteers is our top priority," said Games CEO Karen Sherriffs. Here's the latest on the fires from CBC News.
On a brighter note, 11-year-old swimmer Louisa Henry, the Games' youngest athlete, is making a splash; rugby sevens players are impressing national-team scouts; and Manitoba kayaker Luke Enns is eyeing the Olympics.
You can watch live action from the Canada Games every day on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. See the full streaming schedule for details and links to live streams. | | | That's it for today. Talk to you later.
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