“That wasn’t nice” – Elena Rybakina makes feelings clear on ‘tough’ atmosphere created by crowd support for local Victoria Mboko in Canadian Open SF
Elena Rybakina, the world No. 9 and 2022 Wimbledon champion, pinpointed the intense crowd support for local star Victoria Mboko as a key factor in her heartbreaking 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) loss in the 2025 National Bank Open semifinal in Montreal on August 7, 2025. In a candid post-match press conference, reported by tennis365.com, Rybakina expressed her frustration, stating, “Yeah, that wasn’t nice, of course. I played in a lot of situations where the crowd was supporting the [other] player, but I would say that here it was pretty tough from very beginning. I already felt it from the first game we played, and especially when it’s in between the serves.” The raucous atmosphere at IGA Stadium, with fans cheering loudly and disrupting rallies, unsettled Rybakina, who held a match point at 5-4 in the third set but faltered under pressure.
Rybakina dominated the first set 6-1, leveraging her powerful serve and baseline aggression, but Mboko, an 18-year-old Canadian ranked No. 85, rallied in the second set, breaking Rybakina three times as the crowd’s energy intensified. In the third set, Rybakina led 5-3 and served for the match twice but admitted to a mental lapse, saying, “I got tight and didn’t play those points well,” per TennisUpToDate2. Mboko’s fearless play, backed by the home crowd, saw her win the tiebreak 7-4, securing her place in the final against Naomi Osaka. Rybakina noted Mboko’s clutch serving, stating, “She played fast and fearless, but the crowd gave her that extra push.”
The match, lasting three hours, highlighted Rybakina’s vulnerability to hostile environments, a recurring theme in 2025. Despite a strong season (30-12 record, Dubai semifinals, Wimbledon third round), she struggled against Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells and Aryna Sabalenka at Bad Homburg, also dropping match points in the latter. The Montreal crowd’s behavior, including whistling during her serve, echoed her 2023 complaints about late-night scheduling, showing her sensitivity to external pressures, per @JacobPacheco6 on X.
Mboko, who went on to win the title, capitalized on the crowd’s energy, converting eight of nine break points despite a wrist injury. Rybakina’s acknowledgment of the crowd’s impact, while praising Mboko’s resilience, underscores the challenge of maintaining focus in such conditions. As she heads to the Cincinnati Open, where she faces a tough draw, Rybakina aims to regroup for the US Open. Posts on X, like @SoaringTennis, sympathized with her, noting, “Crowds can cross a line when they disrupt serves.” This loss, though painful, highlights Rybakina’s need to build mental resilience to complement her physical game as she chases a second Grand Slam.
