Toronto tennis star Victoria Mboko will play the biggest match yet of her young career tonight as she faces off against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the final of the National Bank Open in Montreal.

According to the Canadian Olympic Committee, the WTA 1000 event is considered Canada’s most prestigious tennis tournament, and 18-year-old Mboko is making history as the youngest Canadian woman ever to reach the tournament final in the Open Era.

The Toronto-raised teenager, born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Congolese parents, is also only the third wild card entry ever to reach the final of the Canadian Open. She ranked No. 85 when she entered the tournament but stunned the tennis world with a series of upsets, defeating three former Grand Slam winners throughout the series — 2020 Australian Open champ Sofia Kenin in the second round, two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, and, most recently, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Wednesday’s semifinal. In that match, she saved a match point and played through a wrist injury to defeat Rybakina in a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) battle that lasted nearly three hours.

“It’s been a crazy night for me,” Mboko said after yesterday’s win. “For my first-ever final of a 1000, it’s unbelievable to even think about it, and I’m just really happy to be here and just to celebrate it with all the Canadian fans that came to watch.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet)

 The teen’s run has catapulted her up the rankings. Mboko is now guaranteed a spot inside the WTA top 40, having started 2025 outside the top 300.

And perhaps her success isn’t all that surprising. The teenager, who was raised in Burlington, ON, actually hails from a family of tennis players. She’s the youngest of four Mboko siblings, two boys and two girls, all of whom have played tennis.

According to a recent WTA profile, Mboko’s sister, Gracia, and brother, Kevin, both competed at the college level. Her other brother, David, had to stop playing due to eye problems.

“I just remember watching them from the sidelines and not wanting to be left out,” Mboko told the WTA earlier this month.

“I’ve actually never beaten any of them,” she said. “I never like to lose a lot. I played my sister once in a tournament and I lost 0 and 0. I was absolutely devastated. They still hold that over me to this day!”

Tonight, Mboko will play Osaka: the former world No. 1 and four-time Slam winner defeated Clara Tauson in straight sets to reach her first WTA 1000 final since 2022 (she’s apparently also one of Mboko’s tennis idols!)

This is a big night for Osaka herself, who took a long hiatus from the tour for maternity leave and mental health recovery. But she’s praised Mboko’s maturity and calmness on court.

“I thought it was really impressive how she stayed calm,” Osaka told reporters about the rising star. “That’s really impressive for an 18-year-old.”

The final starts this evening at 6:00 p.m. ET. You can watch it on Sportsnet or catch highlights online.

Toronto’s waterfront is getting an exciting new festival and it’s happening this fall.

The inaugural Water/Fall Festival will span two weekends—Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 4-5—and is free for all to attend.

Taking advantage of the city’s stunning waterfront locations, the festival will feature a range of activities at popular spots including Toronto Music Garden, Harbourfront Centre, HTO Park, and Spadina Pier. With a wide array of programming, the Water/Fall Festival promises to offer something for everyone, from art installations and live entertainment to local food and drink markets and boat tours.

The event’s opening weekend features A Lake Story, a public art performance by acclaimed artist Melissa McGill. The performance will feature more than 100 colourful canoes paddling in a choreographed procession across Lake Ontario, providing a spectacular and immersive visual experience. The performance will unfold over Sept. 27 and 28, creating a whirlwind of art, nature, and community along the city’s waterfront.

“Locals and visitors are all invited to experience Toronto’s waterfront in a new way this Fall — with a trail of markets, events and art exhibits across a two-kilometre stretch of Queens Quay,” said Tim Kocur, executive director of the Waterfront BIA. “Framed by the colour of changing leaves and crisp autumn air, the Water/Fall Festival will be a way to rediscover the energy of the waterfront through food, arts and culture experiences and live entertainment.”

More details on additional programming and events will be announced in early September.

Dear Sangita: I recently discovered that my boyfriend has been a cheater in every single one of his past relationships … and always with the same person. The problem is that person is going to be in his life forever — it’s his childhood best friend. He says it’s not a problem anymore, that he’s changed and that I’m “the one.” But what if he said that in all of his past relationships? — Once a cheater?

Dear Once: It doesn’t sound like this woman is someone you want in your life, and the same probably goes for your boyfriend. Is this guy worth it? Is this the one you want to invest in? You have to ask those questions. And ultimately it’s not going to be about him, it’s going to be about you. If you’ll continue to feel jealous throughout the relationship, you’ll be the one who has to sit with that. To me it sounds like this woman has such a hold on him that he might not necessarily want to be a cheater, but he’s in this vicious cycle. 

This may sound ridiculous, but I would ask her yourself. Say, “I really like this guy. I want to make it work. What are your intentions here?” If she really cares for him, she’ll take that to heart. But if she tells you that she and your boyfriend are supposed to be for life, take it or leave it, then you can save yourself the heartbreak of investing in this guy. 

Dear Sangita: I lent my friend a lot of money after they said it was an emergency — and now they’re on vacation, posting lobster dinners. Do I ask for the money back or take the loss … or cut ties? — Lending regrets

Dear Lending: I would personally say cut your losses. I know it’s scary to ask for money back, because you think it will affect the relationship. So if you want a gentler way to bring this up in the conversation, you can ask, “Hey, that money that I gave you, how did it work out?” The mistake we sometimes make is to lend money without saying, “Hey, pay it back in six months.” With an open deadline, people will forget — or take advantage. So it might work to give a generous deadline during this conversation, giving your friend plenty of time to pay you back but gently reminding them they still owe you.

Have a question about love, relationships or life for Sangita? Send it to [email protected] or submit it here.

More from Sangita:

Dear Sangita: I snooped through my partner’s phone and I found something concerning. The question is: Do I go back into his phone to see if he’s still talking to people? Or do I admit to my boyfriend that I snooped and ask him straight out if he’s still using it? 

Dear Sangita: ​​I’m engaged to a married man. He was supposed to have mailed in the paperwork before he proposed to me, but I found out after that some documents were missing when he did. Was I wrong for calling off the wedding?

Dear Sangita: My New Year’s resolution is to break up with my awful boyfriend and start dating his best friend! His best friend is just a much better fit for me. Neither of us have acted on it, but I want to. How do I do this without breaking up their friendship?

Ahead of his band’s live performance and screening of Truth and Dare: Mouth Congress at Hot Docs on Aug. 22, Scott Thompson reflects on queer punk, creative survival and Arnie.

What was it like working with Arnold Schwarzenegger on FUBAR?

It was great. Once you get over the nerves of working with a genuine legend, he’s just a guy who likes to work and connect. He’s approachable, fun and talks to everyone like equals. He’s a true leader.

What surprised you most about your role in FUBAR?

That my character actually had something to do with the plot! I’ve usually been peripheral in my career, but this time I got to be part of the story. 

What is the band Mouth Congress’s origin story?

It was just a bunch of friends at university figuring things out. We weren’t a typical band. We were actors, writers, filmmakers — just creative people making stuff. The band was really an outlet, especially during the AIDS epidemic. We redirected all that energy — sexual and emotional — into writing songs.

How did Toronto shape the band?

Toronto shaped us simply because that’s where we were — young, broke, living communally. We had no expectations and just made things happen. 

What can fans expect from your August event at Hot Docs?

We’ll screen the documentary, which is filled with lies but also truth — it’s more about telling a good story than sticking to facts. We’ll also do a performance. We’re still figuring it out.

What’s next for you creatively?

I’ll keep doing standup and working on my Buddy Cole show, The Last Glory Hole. I’m also thrilled that my long-in-development movie script looks like it’s finally going to be made. And of course, I’m proud of the Mouth Congress album and documentary finally getting seen.

Canadian singer-songwriter Meghan Patrick is gearing up to headline Boots & Hearts Festival this weekend, coming back to her Ontario home roots before heading across the country for the Canadian Country Music Awards (where she’s racked up four more nominations). The country artist, who has shared the stage with heavyweights such as Lady A and, as a published songwriter, has collaborated with artists including Chantal Kreviazuk. She’s also shared the stage with one other notable country artist: her husband, Nashville’s Mitchell Tenpenny. Here, Patrick shares the story of how Tenpenny wooed her in a very Canadian way and their super country wedding.

How they met

We met at Losers bar in midtown Nashville. I’m pretty sure our first real date was a Nashville Predators game… I guess he figured the best way to impress a Canadian girl was to take her to a hockey game.

The relationship

For the first month or so that we were seeing each other, I was actually on tour in Canada the whole time, so I guess we technically started as a “long-distance couple.” We spent a lot of time talking on the phone and FaceTiming and before I even made it back home to Nashville he told me one night he wanted to “lock this down” and asked me if I would be his girlfriend. It was unlike the beginning of any other relationship I’d ever had, but we had already built a strong foundation and connection before I came home, and it was definitely a first to come home to a boyfriend I didn’t have when I left.

The proposal

He proposed in the back room of Losers in the exact same place we first met. He had it all decorated with rose petals and lights and pictures of us, and both our families were there to celebrate with us… he also managed to surprise me which is hard to do! It was perfect.

The wedding and honeymoon

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Meghan Patrick (@megpatrickmusic)

We got married at a friend’s farm just outside Nashville. It was a special place for me as the people who own the farm were some of my first friends when I moved to Nashville, and it quickly became a special place for Mitchell too. It was a beautiful sunny day in the fall, the leaves had all changed, and it was truly the best day of my life. We decided to have our honeymoon in Maui after doing a songwriters event there together. We fell in love with everything about it and knew we had to come back for our honeymoon.

Shared hobbies and interests

Golf, hunting and fishing, frisbee golf — anything in the outdoors basically.

Balancing careers and a relationship

We just try and make the best of the time we have together when we have it. We try to keep “shop talk” to a minimum, we plan date nights, and golf together and try to put the phones away and just be in the moment with each other. But the fact that we are both chasing the same dream helps, we both understand the sacrifice it takes, but know that when push comes to shove, our marriage comes first.

The future together

We’d love to do some more touring together, and hopefully have some kids we could one day take on the road with us. We are very blessed with the life we have now, so we just hope to have many more years together doing what we love, cheering each other on, and having fun. Fun and adventure is a big part of our foundation.