Will teenager Mboko's 22-match unbeaten run end in glory?

It's always enthralling to see a young talent realised, even if it has been long forecasted.

But a moment of realisation, where everything clicks and stuttering potential morphs into roaring success, is even more giving: enter Canada's Victoria Mboko.

Twenty-two games unbeaten for an 18-year-old who at the beginning of the season was ranked 333 in the world, but is one match away from winning her home tournament – if she can beat top-tier ever-present and multiple Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.

For Japan's Osaka, another match for her to underpin her gravitas in tennis' seemingly endless-yet-entertaining grind to prove current status.

For Mboko, validation of hard work from the age of three, and for parents who landed in a very different United States in 1999 - one which provided solace from political unrest the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But it's in Toronto where Mboko - who was born in Charlotte, US - was inspired to play tennis.

"I remember going there as a kid and watching all the great players playing," Mboko told the Women's Tennis Association.

"We were watching a lot of Serena and Venus [Williams], and that's where I took a lot of inspiration, because Serena was literally the greatest of all time. I used to see how the pros are and I used to be in so much awe of them. And now I'm seeing them like right beside me."

Beside, and behind her packing their racquet bags, at least 22 times this year… Mboko's not only making a big impression with her cerebral brand of tennis, but this is the kind of run that only great players tend to go on, as most of the winning streak records suggest over time., external

Yes, there's a way to go to match Martina Navratilova's 74 in 1984, but Mboko is keeping very good company.

And Mboko talks as if she is thinking through the fear on the court when it matters most: as things appear to be going horribly wrong.

Mboko was facing match-point in her semi-final with Elana Rybakina, but got into the zone.

"After the first set Elena was playing great tennis, and I didn't have much time to reflect on how I could improve. But in my head I thought I wanted to stay in with her and bring as many balls back in the court as I could. That mentality helped me get through a lot of difficult points."

Perhaps there's little surprise - she has had some good advice from players she is yet to beat: her four older siblings, Gracia, Kevin and David.

"I just remember watching them from the sidelines and not wanting to be left out," Mboko said.

"I've actually never beaten any of them," she said. "I never like to lose a lot. I played my sister once in a tournament and I lost 0 and 0. I was absolutely devastated. They still hold that over me to this day!", external

Mboko's coach Natalie Tauziet - herself a pragmatist on the court and former world number three and Wimbledon finalist in the '90s - has overseen Mboko's remarkable form after previously guiding her in the junior ranks.

"I think what is important for her is to see us not panic when something happen. I remember at the beginning of the year, she always told me: 'Oh, you're so calm during the match.'"

"The US Open is the objective - who knows, maybe she can do something good? Here, we are going match by match, and hoping for no injury."

Mboko hurt her hand in the semi against Rybakina in a heavy fall in Montreal, but says she doesn't feel it ahead of the final.

Another benefit of being young appears to be the ability to bounce off a hard court, alongside the anxiety-free world-view teenage sports stars so often benefit from.

As former young Canadian star and another Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard said on Canadian TV after Mboko's win over Coco Gauff: "She was fearless, and she didn't seem to let the moment affect her that much.

"Her power and shotmaking were great. She didn't let Coco do too much, or give her give her any time. Taking it to her with her serve, [Mboko] Handled the moment in such a mature way."

Mboko will need that maturity before the final against an experienced player who herself has never gone past the quarters in Canada: "It's crazy how life works, it's such a great feeling."

"But I didn't think of lifting trophy up until now. I always try to focus on the present moment – but it's obviously a vision I would like to see. And that's what I'm playing for."