Osaka Advances to Montreal Semifinals, Set to Meet Tauson

Naomi Osaka has stormed into the semifinals of the National Bank Open in Montreal, after defeating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday. This is Osaka’s first National Bank Open semifinal, and she will play against No. 16 seed Clara Tauson.

Tauson had earlier knocked out the sixth-seed Madison Keys with a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the quarterfinals. This performance comes as Osaka’s best since the Miami Open finals in 2022. She took a 15-month hiatus from tennis towards the end of that season, giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023.

The Japanese player is eyeing her eighth career title and her first since winning the Australian Open in 2021. Also in the semifinals is Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko who will be facing ninth-seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

Tauson, grieving the loss of her grandfather, was emotional after her quarterfinal victory. Her grandfather had been a major supporter of her career, often driving her to practice sessions.

Madison Keys, a winner at this year’s Australian Open, acknowledged Tauson’s impressive game after her defeat. She praised Tauson’s serving game, attributing her inability to break her serve to it.

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