Naomi Osaka Apologizes for Not Congratulating Victoria Mboko on Montreal Open Win

Naomi Osaka apologized for not congratulating Victoria Mboko for her victory after their Montreal Open women's singles final.

Mboko won in three sets on Thursday (2-6, 6-4, 6-1). She notably converted 8-of-9 break-point opportunities and earned a fantastic first serve win percentage (82%).

Osaka referenced two past speeches in her apology.

The first occurred after her victory at Indian Wells in 2018. It was her first-ever victory speech, so Osaka understandably had a little issue getting through it, but she was sincere, earnest and respectful in her remarks. All in all, it was a very solid first-time effort.

The second occurred after Osaka beat Jenny Brady in the 2021 Australian Open. Osaka asked Brady if she preferred to be called Jenny or Jennifer. Brady answered Jenny, but Osaka used Jennifer anyway when concluding her speech. It was an honest mistake, and Osaka apologized afterward.

As far as Thursday goes, Osaka obviously wasn't trying to slight Mboko, who became the first Canadian to win the tournament since 2019 (Bianca Andreescu). The 18-year-old also had a sensational run in her own right, taking down four Grand Slam winners en route to the title.

Mboko and Osaka will be among those heading to New York soon for the last Grand Slam of the year, the U.S. Open, which is set to begin on Sunday, Aug. 24.