EXCLUSIVE: Political Agendas and Secret Backroom Deals Behind Tennis Canada Awards? Shock Winners Victoria Mboko and Felix Auger-Aliassime Spark Fury and Allegations of Favoritism, As Top Contenders Reportedly Iced Out Due To…

TORONTO — National Bank Open champion Victoria Mboko was named women’s player of the year by Tennis Canada on Tuesday, while Felix Auger-Aliassime took the men’s player of the year honour.

Mboko, from Burlington, Ont., posted a 62-14 record across all competitions this year. She rocketed from No. 350 in the world rankings at the start of the season to her current No. 18 position.

Mboko’s first career WTA Tour title came last summer as a wild-card entry in Montreal. She beat big names like Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina en route to the final of the WTA 1000 tournament, where she upset former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.

The 19-year-old Canadian, who capped her breakout season with a title in Hong Kong last month, was also named women’s singles player of the year and women’s most improved player of the year.

Auger-Aliassime, 25, was also selected as men’s singles player of the year after earning three ATP Tour titles and moving to a career-high No. 5 in the world rankings.

“What a season this has been for Canadian tennis, one that will undoubtedly be remembered for many years to come,” Tennis Canada chief executive officer Gavin Ziv said in a statement.

Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, won ATP 250 titles in Brussels, Montpellier and Adelaide. He reached the final four at the season-ending ATP Finals and became the first Canadian to record multiple 50-win seasons (50-24).

Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski won the women’s doubles player of the year award, and Calgary’s Cleeve Harper took the men’s doubles player of the year honour.

Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo was named most improved men’s player, and Thomas Venos of New Westminster, B.C., was named wheelchair player of the year.

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Victoria Mboko claims triple honour as Auger-Aliassime secures Player of the Year at Tennis Canada Awards

byCristhián Avila

Tuesday, 09 December 2025 at 17:30

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The ATP world No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime and the WTA world No. 18 Victoria Mboko were honored with the Tennis Canada’s Players of the Year awards, after finishing as the No. 1 players in their respective countries and achieving the best seasons of their careers.

The winning players of the Tennis Canada year-end awards were announced this Tuesday. The awards honored the best players of the season—in both singles and doubles—in addition to the most improved players, the best junior player, and the wheelchair tennis players of the year.

The big winner of the day was the 19-year-old Mboko, who took home three awards. The teenager made an impressive jump on the Tour, after starting the year at world No. 337, climbing to No. 18 by the end of the season. While she competed in W35 and W75 category tournaments during the first part of the year, she managed to make the leap to WTA-level tournaments, claiming two titles – including the WTA 1000 Canadian Open, becoming the second Canadian woman to do so in the Open Era, following Bianca Andreescu in 2019.

“Canadian tennis had an exceptional season that will undoubtedly be etched in memories for many years to come,” commented the Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada, Gavin Ziv. “Victoria [Mboko], who was our Junior Player of the Year just three years ago, has already climbed into the Top 20. Her feat at our flagship tournament, the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, stirred the passion of our country and captivated the global sporting world.”

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Victoria Mboko meets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Parliament Hill in recognition of breakout year

From 337 to Top 20: Mboko’s unstoppable rise

Mboko had a streak of 20 consecutive wins in the initial part of the year—between January and February, winning four titles. By mid-March, she reached her 5th title (two W75 and three W35), with a record of 25-1 so far. She had already moved to the edge of the Top 150 when she debuted at the Miami Open, surprising everyone with her first WTA 1000 victory by defeating former world No. 33 Camila Osorio.

In the second round, she was defeated by Paula Badosa—in the third-set tie-break, in a memorable match where the Spaniard showed her frustration with the teenager’s level. “I do not know what i need to do, she plays better than Aryna Sabalenka,” said the former world No. 2 to her technical team during the match, where the Canadian demonstrated that she was ready to challenge the best players in the world.

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Paula Badosa – about Victoria Mboko: “I do not know what I need to do, she plays better than Aryna Sabalenka “

6:39 PM · Mar 21, 2025

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