The North American hard-court swing is in full throttle, and this August, tennis fans are witnessing a whirlwind of young talent, record prize money, and dramatic upsets as the road to the US Open heats up. Between Victoria Mboko’s fairytale run at the Canadian Open and Emma Raducanu’s daunting Cincinnati Open draw, the women’s tour is buzzing with anticipation, surprises, and more than a few raised eyebrows. If you thought the summer would be predictable, think again!
Let’s start in Montreal, where 18-year-old Victoria Mboko stunned the tennis world by capturing her maiden WTA Tour singles title at her home event, the 2025 Canadian Open. Entering the week well outside the top 50, Mboko’s journey was as improbable as it was electrifying. She didn’t just win—she toppled a string of Grand Slam champions along the way, making her victory one for the history books.
Mboko’s path to the trophy was a gauntlet: she dispatched 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in the second round, took down two-time major champion and top seed Coco Gauff in the fourth, and ousted 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the semi-final. The final saw her face four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, a player with nerves of steel and a mountain of experience.
The final itself was a rollercoaster. Osaka, ever the competitor, came out swinging, breaking Mboko twice to claim the first set 6-2. But the teenager refused to wilt under pressure. The second set turned into a battle of nerves and resilience, with both players trading breaks in a stretch that saw seven service games lost. Mboko edged the set 6-4, setting the stage for a dramatic decider. With the crowd firmly behind her, Mboko surged, rattling off the last five games to clinch the championship 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Afterward, an emotional Mboko told reporters, “These past two weeks have been insane. Even getting the wildcard to play here … I was super happy to be playing in Montreal for the first time ever. I just remember feeling nervous, but really taking in the moment as much as I possibly could. When I won my first round, I was super happy and super content. I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final let alone win the tournament. I have so many emotions going through my head, I can’t even express it.”
This Cinderella run has catapulted Mboko up the WTA Rankings. She began 2025 ranked No 333 and had climbed to No 85 before Montreal. Her Canadian Open triumph earned her a whopping 999 points, vaulting her 61 places to No 24. That means she’s now set to be seeded at the US Open—a remarkable feat for someone who started the season as a relative unknown. Her opponent in the final, Naomi Osaka, also enjoyed a rankings boost, leaping from No 49 to No 25 after picking up 650 points for her runner-up finish. The financial rewards were significant too: Mboko pocketed $752,275, nearly doubling her career earnings to $1.2 million, while Osaka’s $391,600 prize pushed her past the $23 million career mark.
As the WTA Tour shifts south to Cincinnati, all eyes are on Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, who’s looking to continue her resurgence. Seeded No 30 at the Cincinnati Open, Raducanu received a first-round bye and now faces Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in the second round. Danilovic dashed hopes of an all-British clash by defeating Katie Boulter in straight sets, setting up a tricky test for Raducanu in her tournament opener.
If Raducanu advances, her path doesn’t get any easier. She’s staring down a potential gauntlet: defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, world No 2 Coco Gauff, and No 3 Iga Swiatek all loom as possible opponents en route to the final. It’s the kind of draw that would make even the most seasoned veteran sweat, but Raducanu has shown flashes of her 2021 brilliance this season. Her highlights include a quarter-final run at the Miami Open, a round-of-16 finish at the Italian Open, and a semi-final showing at the Citi Open in Washington. Her third-round exit at Wimbledon came at the hands of world No 1 Sabalenka, a reminder of the stiff competition at the top.
Other British hopefuls are also in action. Sonay Kartal, fresh off a breakout fourth-round run at Wimbledon, opens against former champion Caroline Garcia. Should she win, a second-round clash with 11th seed Karolina Muchova awaits. On the men’s side, Cameron Norrie received a first-round bye and will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Daniel Altmaier in round two, with fifth seed Ben Shelton potentially waiting in the third. Jacob Fearnley, meanwhile, saw his Cincinnati debut end early with a first-round loss to Zizou Bergs.
The Cincinnati Open, running from August 5 to August 18, is the final major tune-up before the US Open, and the stakes are higher than ever. The US Open, set for August 24 to September 7, has announced a record prize pool of £67 million ($90 million), up from £56 million ($75 million) last year. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each take home £3.7 million ($5 million), the largest payout in tournament history. This windfall comes after players, including Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and 2024 champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, signed a letter in March urging Grand Slam chiefs to boost prize money.
Speaking of Djokovic, the world No 1 has pulled out of Cincinnati and will head to New York without any warm-up tournaments. It’s a bold move, but if anyone can handle the pressure of a Grand Slam cold, it’s Djokovic. Meanwhile, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are back in action after a month-long break, and defending women’s champion Sabalenka is eager to defend her crown.
At Wimbledon earlier this summer, Sinner and Swiatek were crowned champions, with prize money there also seeing a healthy bump—up around seven percent, with singles champions earning £2.9 million ($4 million) each. The escalating prize money across the majors is a testament to the sport’s growing global appeal and the relentless push by players for fairer compensation.
With the US Open just weeks away, the stage is set for more drama. Will Raducanu recapture her Flushing Meadows magic? Can Mboko ride her Montreal momentum into a deep run in New York? And how will the game’s biggest stars respond to the new generation’s fearless charge? For tennis fans, the only certainty is that the next month promises fireworks on and off the court.
Fans can catch all the action live on Sky Sports from August 24, or stream it on NOW and the Sky Sports app. With the North American hard-court season in full swing, the race to the US Open is shaping up to be one for the ages.
