Vicky Mboko, the National Bank Open champion, was awarded the title of women’s player of the year by Tennis Canada on Tuesday, with Felix Auger-Aliassime clinching the men’s accolade. Hailing from Burlington, Ont., Mboko boasted an impressive 62-14 record across various competitions this year, leaping from No. 350 to her current No. 18 spot in the world rankings. Her remarkable season included securing her first WTA Tour title in Montreal last summer as a wild-card entry, triumphing over top players like Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina, and stunning former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. The 19-year-old Canadian capped off her breakout year by clinching a title in Hong Kong last month, earning her additional titles as women’s singles player of the year and women’s most improved player of the year.
On the other hand, Auger-Aliassime, 25, claimed three ATP Tour titles and attained a career-best No. 5 position in the world rankings. Tennis Canada’s CEO Gavin Ziv hailed the outstanding year in Canadian tennis, marking it as one to be remembered. Additionally, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Calgary’s Cleeve Harper were recognized as the women’s and men’s doubles players of the year, respectively. Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo was honored as the most improved men’s player, while Thomas Venos from New Westminster, B.C., was named wheelchair player of the year.