Naomi Osaka Advances to Canadian Open Semis for First Time
Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has made history by reaching the semi-finals of the Canadian Open for the first time. The Japanese tennis star defeated Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina with a score of 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. This victory marks Osaka's first WTA 1000 semi-final appearance since the 2022 Miami tournament. She secured her win against the 10th-seeded Svitolina in just over an hour, showcasing her strong performance and composure on the court.
Osaka capitalized on Svitolina's unforced errors, breaking her twice in the first set and moving closer to winning it. Despite a brief moment where Svitolina threatened to shift the momentum, Osaka remained focused, broke back, and closed out the first set. In the second set, the match was more competitive, but Osaka managed to convert two more break points, sealing the victory in Montreal.
The 27-year-old will now face Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson in the semi-finals. Tauson has had a remarkable run, securing her second consecutive win over a top 10 opponent by defeating American sixth seed Madison Keys with a score of 6-1, 6-4. This achievement comes after she previously beat six-time major winner Iga Swiatek.
“I think for me, I'm just having a lot of fun playing and I'm really glad to be here,” Osaka said. “She’s (Tauson) really tough. I played her in Auckland this year and I had to stop halfway because I was injured. So, I'm really excited that I'm healthy and I hope that it's a good match for everyone that comes and watches.”
Tauson displayed clinical precision in her match against Keys, converting both of her break point opportunities and serving it out in under an hour. Keys dropped serve early in the second set, which allowed Tauson to take control and move closer to her second WTA 1000 semi-final of her career.
Men's Tournament Highlights
In the men's tournament in Toronto, American second seed Taylor Fritz advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev. Fritz started the match strongly, winning six straight points and breaking Rublev's serve in his first return game. His dominant service performance helped him maintain momentum, and he appeared poised to close out the match while serving at 5-4 in the second set.
However, Rublev mounted a comeback, saving a match point and converting his fourth break point to level the set before forcing a tiebreak. Fritz eventually secured the win in the tiebreak, despite the challenging circumstances.
“That whole game was so shaky for me,” Fritz said. “It's weird because he was holding easy, I was holding easy. It felt so like calm and chill and all of a sudden I'm serving to be in the semis, the pressure of the game came out of nowhere. There's no way to sugarcoat it, it was a tight game. My brain kind of turned off. The only thing you can do is come back and win the set. I would be a lot more upset about what happened in the game if I lose the match. Winning makes it feel not as bad.”
Fritz will next face compatriot and fourth seed Ben Shelton, who reached his first career Masters 1000 semi-final by defeating Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Shelton's impressive performance has set the stage for an exciting showdown with Fritz in the semi-finals.