"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 has revealed how she felt about facing Victoria Mboko in front of the 18-year-old's passionate home crowd at the 2025 Canadian Open. Following her loss, the Kazakh expressed frustration with the atmosphere created by the audience's overwhelming support for Mboko.

After pulling off stunning upsets over Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin, Mboko continued her dream run at the WTA 1000 event by defeating Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in the semifinals. Despite the lopsided first set, the Canadian maintained her composure and even saved a match point to claim the hard-fought victory. Following her win, Mboko thanked the crowd profusely for their support, admitting that she wouldn't have been able to pull through without it.

Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, had a different perspective on the audience's support for Victoria Mboko, admitting that it had made the match challenging from the very first game. In her post-match press conference, the Kazakh shared that the vocal backing for her opponent was especially tough to deal with during her service games.

"Yeah, that wasn't nice, of course. I played in a lot of situations where the crowd was supporting the 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," Rybakina said.

Nevertheless, Rybakina conceded that she had been expecting the crowd to rally behind Mboko. She was also quick to clarify that their support had no bearing on the mistakes and poor choices she made during the match.

"It is what it is. This is something I was kind of expecting, and definitely it didn't depend anyhow on my serve or in the mistakes I did or wrong choices. It was obvious that the crowd is going to cheer for their player," she added.

Elena Rybakina also credited Victoria Mboko for playing "really well" and described her as a formidable opponent. Following her win over the World No. 12, Mboko will take on Naomi Osaka in the Canadian Open final.

Elena Rybakina gears up for Cincinnati Open campaign

Elena Rybakina - Source: Getty

Elena Rybakina will be back in action at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, aiming to win her first WTA 1000 title of the season. Despite her loss in Montreal, the 26-year-old gained confidence from her run to the semifinals, expressing satisfaction with her improvement on the court.

"Yeah, it was tough match, but overall I think successful week for me. Slowly getting better on the court, so yeah," Rybakina said in the same press conference.

Following a first-round bye, Rybakina will lock horns with the winner between Yulia Puntintseva and Renata Zarazua in her opening match in Cincinnati. If she wins, the Kazakh will likely face Elise Mertens in the third round of the event.

Elena Rybakina could then meet Madison Keys in the fourth round, while top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka looms as her potential quarterfinal opponent.