Tauson Triumphs Over Keys, Secures Spot in Canadian Open Semis

Tauson dominated the opening set and took full advantage of Keys giving up a break on a double fault to begin the second. The Dane won 12 of 19 points on her second serve and kept Keys at bay for most of the match.

Tauson will play Wednesday for a spot in the final against the winner of the match between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan and Ukraine’s 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina.

Keys joined a list of top seeds eliminated, with the top five and seven of the top 10 seeds ousted before the quarter-finals.

Tauson, 22, seeks her fourth career WTA title following wins in 2021 at the Lyon and Luxembourg Opens, and this year’s Auckland Open. That event ended with Osaka retiring after winning the first set of the final.

This was Tauson’s only encounter with Osaka. She holds a 2-0 record against Svitolina, claiming victory in Portugal on clay in 2023 and through a third-set tiebreaker at Dubai six months ago.

After eliminating Polish second seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round, Tauson is one win away from reaching her second WTA 1000 final, after being defeated in the first by Mirra Andreeva in February at Dubai.

Tauson’s performance in the first set was dominant, breaking in the fourth and sixth games, while Keys double-faulted another break to start the second set.

Tauson held her serve to win, confronting no break points in the second set, and ultimately sealing the match at love in just 70 minutes.

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, will face 18-year-old Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko in the other semi-final on Montreal’s hardcourts, as a warm-up for the US Open.

Rybakina claimed victory in their only previous encounter, winning 6-3, 7-5 last month in the Washington second round.

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