TORONTO — After her extraordinary win at the National Bank Open in Montreal, 18-year-old tennis sensation Victoria Mboko is being celebrated as a role model for the next generation of Canadian athletes.

The phenom from Burlington, Ont., took the National Bank Open title on Thursday after defeating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final match.

Yosabeth Agonafer of the Alberta-based group Black Girls in Tennis says Mboko’s victory on Canadian soil paves the way for more representation of Black Canadian women in tennis.

Related: • ‘She’s born for this’: Former tennis champ Jeyaseelan reacts to Mboko’s NBO win • Canada’s Victoria Mboko wins National Bank Open title • How Victoria Mboko must navigate life changes in midst of National Bank Open semifinal run

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